Danganronpa: Revolution of Chaos
by sephiroth12285
Summary: Lelouch has unknowingly befriended the one who would become the Ultimate Despair when Japan became Area 11 and so Junko Enoshima has watched Lelouch for seven years, but impatient over acting on his vow he made she has decided to play a game which is to be the first of many between them as one spreads despair and the other spreads chaos. Lelouch/Junko/Mukuro Edited and fixed
1. Chapter 1 Everything Changes

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass nor Danganronpa otherwise I wouldn't be writing fanfiction XD.

Summary: Lelouch unknowingly befriended the one who would become the Ultimate Despair when Japan became Area 11. Junko Enoshima has watched Lelouch for seven years, but impatient over acting upon on his vow he made she has decided to test him in a game which is to be the first of many of them as one spreads despair and the other spreads chaos.

A/N: Well, I got into another series recommended to me by draconichero21 and while the game me a lot of ideas for my Kingdom Hearts I had an overflow of ideas that allowed me to contemplate ideas for a standalone crossover with some help from Bylackbre for some plans for this chapter.

I tried to take care of as much of my spelling and grammar issues as possible in this chapter, but that said I am looking for a beta reader to help with that problem.

I'll save the rest of the author note for the end of the chapter and get right into the story, and yes this is a combined universe set up.

2/10/18: edited this chapter again, so let me now if the editing and fixes are a big improvement. If they are I will go through and update each chapter and clean them up.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **Everything Changes**

The sound of dice rolling and slot machines turning made up the sounds of the busy casino within Babel Tower. The tower was in the corner of the Tokyo Settlement. Nearby were the decaying remains of Shinjuku Ghetto, but in time like the rest of the ruins of Tokyo they would be torn down and made into the ever-expanding foundation of the Tokyo Settlement.

Seven years ago Japan lost its independence as a country when it provoked a war against the Holy Britannian Empire when it attempted to use its position as a supplier for seventy percent of the world's supply of sakuradite. They had even hoped with the fact they were playing host to two royal siblings from Britannia would give them a edge on the bargaining table.

It backfired.

In a war that lasted only one month, Britannia attacked the small nation. Britannia overwhelmed it with sheer numbers and abundant resources at their disposal. Japan quickly lost the sea and sky battles, but when the Britannian Army made landfall, they unleashed a new weapon: the Knightmare Frame the Glasgow.

By the time it was over, Japan had been renamed Area 11 and its people Elevens.

"So I guess I win another round," a cheerful voice exclaimed, "so fork it all over!"

The winner in question was a tall teenage girl of seventeen years of age with an attractive hourglass figure. She had long thick strawberry blonde hair tied into two pigtails with a rabbit head hair clip on the left and a white and red bow on the other. She possesses blue eyes and a fair skin complexion as her choice of attire was a long-sleeved leopard-print coat with fur trim around the collar and the ends of the sleeves. She underscored her look with a brown belt cinched around her midriff, open-toed black pumps, and black lace garters around her neck and right thigh.

With a toothy grin on her face, the young woman was enjoying her winning streak. Surrounding her was a group of men belonging to various levels of the nobility living in Area 11

Some were watching while more had lost and was hoping one of their own could win, but everyone who challenged her lost.

"Well, somehow I shouldn't be surprised, you are here."

All eyes turned to the newcomer while the blonde's smile merely widened.

"I was hoping you would be here."

The new arrival was a young man of seventeen with a tall and skinny frame with black hair, amethyst eyes, a fair skin complexion, wearing a black school uniform with a high collar and gold trim.

"Junko?!" The new arrival's companion inquired who was obviously shocked by her appearance. "I thought you called out sick?"

He wore the same kind of uniform, but he had a lighter shade of brown complexion with slightly spiky blue hair and silver eyes.

"Well, obviously Rivalz I just wasn't interested in going to school today. It was just too dull." Junko Enoshima replied, crossing her arms over her chest.

"So you came here hoping to challenge me right after you heard about my little hobby of coming here?" The black haired teen said, approaching the table as the noble who had lost to Junko vacated the table to allow the young man to take his place.

"Yeah, especially after I remember that picture Rivalz showed me of that guy you beat so badly he had to walk out of here in a wooden barrel. Since you got his clothes too, along with his money," Junko replied, but despite her amusement at her winning streak, she wanted a real challenge. "Besides, I think this would be a great place for you and me to have a game."

Lelouch Lamperouge smiled, "who am I to turn down a challenge since I am sure you will be more of a contender than anyone else I have faced here."

"Oh great, this means we'll be late for class." Rivalz Cardemonde mumbled under his breath.

Truthfully neither Lelouch nor Junko cared about classes at the academy, because, for Lelouch, he treated school as a trivial matter which he only bothered with because it was necessary. Junko Enoshima was similar thought in that mindset, but she chose to come here because she did indeed enjoy challenging Lelouch despite having never won a single game against him.

As their game progressed, a news report was playing from an overhead monitor.

* * *

"Here is yesterday's terrorist attack on the Osaka National Bank of Britannia where the terrorist group called Ultimate Despair killed sixty people, including twenty Britannians and forty others while robbing the bank." A female newscaster announced, but before she could continue further, her broadcast was being interrupted, which was on every channel throughout Area 11.

Within seconds a black screen with a cartoonish bear's head, divided by two different colors. One side was white, while the other half was black with a wide smile and sinister-looking red eye. It was spinning around while the words' loading underneath.

Seconds later seated upon a throne in a lavish room, sat a teddy bear-like creature that was over two feet tall. Its body divided into two parts with a color scheme resembling the Yin-Yang symbol. His white half has the classic expression of a teddy bear, but his left side showed a more sinister appearance with its black color scheme possessing a red horizontal stripe for an eye and an evil smile.

"Well, good morning again people of Area 11 and how are we doing on this despairingly wonderful day? For those of you who don't know me, I am Monokuma!" The bear said, introducing himself before pulling out a yellow toy hammer before pointing it towards a man standing at a podium across from the teddy bear wearing a brown business suit while he was quite overweight with brown hair, mustache and a beard with a red tie.

The camera having been turned to look upon the terrified man who was being held at gunpoint by two armed henchmen whose genders were not apparent to the viewer due to their black and white suits, sharing the same color scheme as Monokuma and the fact they wore full head masks of Monokuma's visage. Their weapons were a pair of machine guns, which were more than enough to keep the obese man standing still even through the sweat and look of terror on his face was a clear indication that he knew what was coming.

"So we have ourselves another new member and as always, we kick this one off with an initiation ceremony," Monokuma exclaimed happily as he introduced a blonde haired woman with a depressed and nearly emotionless expression wearing a white blouse and a blue skirt. "The fat man there is the owner of the Hi-TV Studio who frustratingly keeps calling me Monobear...ITS MONOKUMA YOU IDIOTS!"

After that burst of anger, the bear calmed down before the captive owner of the studio recognized the new recruit standing near Monokuma.

"Elena!" The captive man exclaimed in horrified shock.

"Yep, your wife has seen the wonder of despair, and it has freed her from a very miserable life as your wife," Monokuma answered as his red eye began glowing.

"But why we're…"

"Happy Together," Monokuma said, interrupting the man before laughing, "So you call cheating on your wife for six years with two different women, including one who had to break up with a few months ago. That one you ended by hiring mailroom clerk to knock her up after getting her heavily intoxicated so you could break up with her when she sobbingly confessed the following morning."

The camera turned away from the horrified man to the sadistic bear who added as an afterthought when addressing the audience.

"Oh, and that woman committed suicide three weeks ago."

A small device with a large bright yellow button was raised up to the bear's level.

"Let us celebrate our new addition to our growing family," Monokuma announced before using his hammer to hit the button, letting out a chime before the obese vanished down a trap door that opened up at his feet.

After passing through a chute that dropped him into a large and more industrialized version of a small one person sauna designed to hold one person but it could more than that. During his trip through the chute, the owner of the studio landed inside the sauna through a heavy metal hatch in the roof. Once inside Monokuma walked up to control panel by the sealed door. The sadistic bear began turning the knob that controlled the temperature turning it up. Thick columns of steam could be seen coming from a ventilation vent on top of the sauna before the owner of the television studio began desperately banging on the door trying to escape before he started screaming.

After turning up the knob all the way it could go the steam inside the room was so thick you couldn't see what was inside.

Ignoring the man's screaming Monokuma put on a black headband before snapping his fingers to begin playing some workout music.

"That's right feel the burn," Monokuma mocked said the bear began doing some stretches, "your wife always said you should lose some weight."

During his workout, the screaming from inside the sauna gradually died down.

"Thank you, Area 11 for joining us for our Death Sauna. We'll see you next time, but know that soon I'll be hosting something extraordinary."

* * *

The broadcast ended, although most onlookers were shocked and horrified except two people. Lelouch was indifferent as he didn't care about the death of the man whose demise was no doubt painful, but he was a corrupt and unfaithful man who got what he deserved. Junko was also indifferent to what happened, but the reason for it was because of that.

She was the leader of the organization Ultimate Despair and the one who controlled Monokuma who acted as both the public leader of the group and its mascot, although only a select few were aware of this for the sake of secrecy.

Junko couldn't help but smile as she drank in the horror and despair people felt from the execution. They witnessed as the authorities have failed every time to find Ultimate Despair and whenever they did its members either committed mass suicide or committed mass suicide taking as many of those sent to apprehend them as possible usually taking many civilians with them. As a result, the police and the military reluctant to pursue them actively, but with so many of the Japanese population and even those among the Britannians who were miserable with their lives in form or finding recruits wasn't hard. It was only a matter of pushing them over that threshold to embrace despair as an escape.

Despair was a bitter mercy, but a mercy nonetheless for some.

For Junko Enoshima it was more than a lifestyle and principle for her, but it was what defined her as she sought to pursue despair in any form regardless if she inflicted it upon others or experienced it herself.

In the case of Lelouch, she felt the despair of the inability to beat him in whatever game they challenged one another. It was one reason she played against him, but at the same time, she was curious about him and the despair and rage he felt as a child that made him into the young man before her today. A beautiful image she remembered when she and the young man first met seven years ago.

* * *

 **Seven Years Ago**

* * *

The girl who would one day terrorize Japan under the name of Junko Enoshima was standing in front of the bombed building. Her twin sister who would eventually take the name Mukuro Ikusaba was kneeling next to her with an expression to say she was about to break out in tears.

"Get a hold of yourself crybaby," Junko told her twin before slapping her in the back of the head. _I know this is_ _despair-inducing_ _, but does she have to act like such a baby because of it?_ Junko asked herself while looking upon the home they had grown up for possibly the last time.

They had backpacks, each filled with whatever supplies they could carry, but aside from essentials Junko's older sister held her only prized possession, she recovered from the ruins, but the fire that consumed it had damaged it.

They were lucky their house was in a small housing community that sat on the outskirts of Kawanehon, a town located in the Haibara District of the Shizuoka Prefecture. Thanks to its low population and being far from any major cities or locations of interest to the Britannian Military they had managed to escape the worst of the war.

It was only for a limited time.

Fortunately, Junko and Mukuro's foster parents had an emergency shelter built in the basement area of their house given their proximity to Mt. Fuji. However, their adoptive father was a survivalist and had taught Mukuro much of what he had known, so it was no surprise he had designed the shelter to be capable of weathering whatever disaster came their way if it is an earthquake, a storm or war.

For the first two weeks as the war began they kept the radio going hoping Japan would win, but Junko didn't believe in their blind optimism because the Holy Britannian Empire controls more than half of the world so they would likely bring in much more troops, resources, and weapons. Not to mention with more than four different locations to amass a large invasion force the Britannian Military attacked with overwhelming force as Britannian Naval fleet surrounded the island from the North, East, and South, and struck the island from all positions simultaneously.

From a tactical standpoint, it was well done and doing so would stretch the island nation's military dangerous thin across multiple fronts.

Japan's air force didn't fare much better, although Japan might have been ready to die to the last man defending their nation they didn't have the soldiers or the weapons to fend off such an overwhelming invasion force.

So it probably shouldn't have surprised anyone that a group of Britannian soldiers in the company of their new Knightmare Frame the RPI-11 Glasgow. They were likely part of a detachment from a scouting force meant to conduct surveillance of the area surrounding Mt Fuji since it was the location of the Sakuradite Mines. Since the cities and major towns had become war zones, it made logical sense that this detachment would be sent out taking a longer route to avoid confrontation with the Japanese Military.

Junko and Mukuro were the first to make it into the shelter, but their foster family didn't make it as the ensuing clash between the civilians, and the Britannian soldiers caused a battle to break out with homes destroyed in the crossfire. To keep the mission the Britannian Patrol hidden they slaughtered everyone. The twins survived thanks to the shelter being designed to withstand the destruction of their home, although had they used heavy weapons upon the foundations of the house they might've not survived.

Even through Mukuro wept for the loss of the family Junko didn't share a tear but instead mocked their stupidity in their blind hope they could somehow push back the Britannians.

 _Children are raised believing hope is some powerful thing that will help you through the most desperate of situations if you only cling to it._ Junko thought as the shelter shook from the nearby explosions, but even if they didn't hear it, Junko didn't doubt people were screaming and either being killed or worse. _No hope is nothing more than optimistic stupidity where you foolishly believe some higher power will help you where it is evident that death is inevitable._

The sisters remained in the shelter for four days as they had all of the food and water they needed, but it was only on the fifth day did they emerge from the underground shelter.

*SNAP*

The noise heard by the younger twin who quickly grabbed the first thing she could find in an attempt to either be armed to defend herself or look innocent enough not to be considered a threat. Mukuro was also alerted by the noise and quickly dropped to the ground to look unassuming while having her hand close to the knife given to her by her father hidden in her boot. The two leaned against a corner of their ruined home.

"Lelouch you make me wonder how you haven't alerted a patrol yet with how many sticks you have broken while walking," a young voice said as a trio of children around Junko and Mukuro's age came out from around the same corner the noise came from. Both parties paused for a moment as they slowly looked each other over.

Lelouch first noticed the girl without the freckles who was holding a stuffed bear that was white on one side, but the other was burnt black. Lelouch saw she had eyes that betrayed her innocence by clearly showing she was far more intelligent than any ten-year-old should be which was reinforced by calm composure. The girl next to her, Lelouch concluded was her twin since they looked identical. The only difference was for the fact that the girl without the bear had freckles on her face and their eyes were different in that the bear holding sister had eyes like Lelouch's in that they analyzed everything they see while the other sister had eyes like an injured wolf sensing danger. Mukuro had blue hair while Junko's hair was red instead of the strawberry blonde it would be later in life.

"Why did we stop moving Big Brother?" Nunnally asked as she felt the boy carrying her stop walking.

 _The_ _brown-haired_ _boy looks like the son of the late Prime Minister while it is now apparent the boy carrying the girl with the closed eyes are siblings. Unless they have a lot of Britannian heritage like Mukuro and me, they aren't Japanese like their companion here is._ Junko quickly tried to figure out how to make the most of this information, but the boy with brown hair, she recognized recalling a picture of him she saw in a newspaper shortly before the war began.

"I guess you guys also got caught up in the Britannian invasion?" Lelouch asked as he looked at the fact the girls were wearing what looked like pajamas and the burnt house was undoubtedly the home these two grew up in.

"You could say that. Our parents had a shelter and supplies in it, so we were lucky enough to be in it when it happened, so we waited it out for a couple of days." The younger of the two sisters answered before adding. "We were about to leave, but my stupid sister couldn't pull herself away from the burnt rubble. I guess since it is the only home we have ever had my sister is too pathetic to move on and abandon the six past, we had." Junko explained as she pulled Mukuro to her feet.

Junko was originally going to try and appear as innocent as possible, but the anger and rage brewing in the black haired boy's eyes wasn't at her, but the world made her act differently. Growing up as a homeless and unwanted child forced Junko to adapt at a very early age where reading and understanding your surroundings was needed to survive.

She recognized suppressed rage when she saw it.

The pigtailed girl wanted to learn what the cause of that anger was and desired to see what would come about from the wrath that she could see is starting to bud in the injured girl's brother.

"I know it might seem lame, but we don't exactly have a place to stay anymore and while Mukuro is good with a knife, we can't exactly survive here on our own with those soldiers coming around and either executing or imprisoning any civilians they come across. I could loan you Mukuro's skills and knowledge of the local area if you agree to let us come along to wherever you guys are going for safety." Junko said while trying to negotiate with Lelouch, Suzaku, and Nunnally. _They seem to know a place that could be safe, so maybe I can get them to provide safety_ _for my dumb ugly sister and me._

Lelouch and Suzaku shared a silent conversation through expressions before both turned towards the future Ultimate Soldier and Ultimate Despair. "Lelouch knows some people that are supposed to provide transportation for him and Nunnally to a safe house of sorts while I have some relatives who are also supposed to meet me at the same place. You can come along, and maybe my people or Lelouch's could provide you with a place to stay for a little while." Suzaku explained to the sisters.

After leading Suzaku and Lelouch to the shelter to stock up on whatever supplies remained including taking anything of use. The two Despair Sisters walked over to the trio and the new group of five continued on their walk to a haven away from the wreckage left behind by the Britannian military. They continued to travel for a few more hours until the sun began to set.

The group knew continuing to travel at night would be too dangerous, so moving away from any roads or pathways the two searched for a suitable place for the night. They were lucky as they came across a hill with a small cave that would work as a makeshift shelter. Suzaku and Mukuro gathered firewood and some extra wood to use to help build a proper temporary housing and a wooden mat to lie on using what blankets they could salvage along the way as makeshift sleeping bags.

The food wasn't a problem thanks to the supplies both parties had managed to gather while Lelouch and Suzaku had collected their supplies from the various homes they had found along the way.

Lucky for them most of the major fighting was happening in the cities and military bases. There were some skirmishes in some of the smaller towns and cities, but judging from the destroyed buildings and roads they happened upon it was assumed they had moved on converging on Toyko with the rest of the Britannian Military as their new weapon the Knightmare Frame was decimating Japan's ground forces with ease.

Later that evening after eating Lelouch and Suzaku waited until Nunnally and the others had fallen asleep. Curious to learn more about the black-haired boy Junko pretended to sleep hoping to overhear their ensuring conversation as the two offered to stay awake under the pretense of acting as a lookout who would wake the others if trouble was near.

"I think it's going to be a few more days before we reach our destination, especially if we want to avoid being caught up in any conflict," Lelouch said as he looked at a map of the area they were traveling through while planning their trek for tomorrow.

"I know the Britannians have established an occupation landing point already, but the fighting should be ending soon right?" Suzaku said with a hint of sadness in his voice as he knew from the battles and devastation that Britannia had wroth in their advance against Japan that it was only a matter of time before his home country ultimately surrendered as it was clear they had no chance of repelling Britannia.

"Hard to say, but this war is drawing close to its inevitable conclusion, and it's happening a lot faster than I expected," Lelouch said calmly, but this merely caused the anger to burn even more strongly as this confirmed something he had suspected. "This proves, however, that they… no, he intended for me to die here."

Lelouch's fists tightened in anger as the rage he kept bottled up inside of him began to come out as he sat in front of the fire while Suzaku sat opposite of him looking concerned for his friend.

"You are thinking about those men who came after you before the invasion right?"

The young man nodded, and both of them recalled that incident, where the two had been walking by the beach near one of the houses the Kururugi Family owned when they stayed there for a time. One day when attempting to return home, they were confronted by four suited men whose intentions involved Lelouch, so Suzaku suddenly attacked them and told Lelouch to flee. The latter did just that, but not wishing to owe Suzaku for his life and knowing his death would only complicate things for him when back and had to bluff their way out of their situation.

Luckily it worked remarkably enough thanks to the sound of the house's alerted security force approaching that helped Lelouch's bluff, but how long would such luck hold out.

"It makes sense if you think about it," Lelouch began bitterly, "we serve no use to him and I am all but dead to him, so what better way for our deaths to be useful by dying here and giving Britannia a rallying justification to invade Japan."

"But…" Suzaku said, trying to offer something, but he had nothing.

Even though their relationship was not friendly in the beginning, to put it mildly, but through Nunnally and the events that followed the two became friends. Strangely, however, Suzaku had learned something that having been born and raised as the son of Japan's Prime Minister should have taught him. He was a child and what his father and his associations were involved with was the adult world so he thought why he should bother knowing and understanding the world around him. Through events and his interactions with Lelouch, the young Japanese boy learned about the dangerous world he was initially unaware of that he was growing up in.

The Nexus of Authority, Suzaku Kururugi understood now just how evil it could be. He was brought up in the miasma around his father who was a dominant figure in authority. Through Lelouch and events that transpired Suzaku understood what he couldn't comprehend as a child seeing the nexus as a world of demons where swords called greed and conspiracy slashed indiscriminately cutting up individual personalities and good will.

Suzaku grew up unaware of the evils of such a world until he met Lelouch whose own environment was far more toxic and demonic compared to the situation in Japan.

Lelouch vi Britannia was a son of the current Emperor and comes from a royal family where a large number of its members through Britannia's history have died through various acts of betrayal and assassination.

"My mother the Empress of Britannia was brutally murdered in her own home. She died shielding my sister, but the incident cost her ability to walk. I know the other Imperial Consorts held her in contempt and were no doubt involved in one way or another." Lelouch said, recalling the incidents where he witnessed his mother confront some of the other consorts which went as far as threatening potential harm upon them. "And the man I once called father chose to banish Nunnally and me to Japan to die so we could help him with having a justified excuse to invade Japan. All because I challenged him and tossed away my claim to the throne declaring me dead."

As Suzaku was left speechless, Junko was genuinely surprised and interested in this turn of events. In moments a dark smile appeared on her face.

 _What a despairingly fateful encounter._

Sometime later, after Suzaku went to sleep, Lelouch was still awake, offering to take up first watch, which he did due to his difficulty in going to sleep as his mind focused on Britannia and the Royal Family especially the anger he held towards them.

Lelouch was silent, although he strove to stay mindful of his surroundings, his mind kept drifting from one thought to another as memories flooded his mind. One of the most prominent of these was the memory of the last words exchanged between father and son.

Rather Emperor and freshly disinherited prince.

 _"You are dead. You were always dead to me, dead from the moment you were born. Who gave you the fine clothes you wear and comfortable home? The food you eat and your very life? All of those, I have given to you; in_ _short,_ _you_ _are not nothing_ _to me because you have never existed. Yet you dare to speak such foolishness to me?! Lelouch, you are dead. Therefore you are not entitled to any rights. I am sending you and Nunnally to Japan, as prince and_ _princess; you will serve well as bargaining tools."_

 _You sent me here to die for YOUR benefit!_ Lelouch as the anger and resentment continued to fester within.

"Dwelling on what happened?" Junko asked out of the blue from behind him.

Lelouch quickly spun around to come face to face with Junko whose own face was only inches away from his own. She was on all fours so her face could be at the same height as Lelouch's as he sat on the ground looking over his shoulder.

The former prince fell back from the unnerving proximity of Junko, but it didn't bother her in the least.

"What's your deal?"

The ten-year-old picked himself up before sitting down in a cross-legged position upon which he dusted himself off. Junko assumed a sitting posture in front of Lelouch as they sat near the fire together.

"So you seemed pretty angry with the hand you got…your majesty," Junko said with a wink causing Lelouch to show signs of surprise on his face. "When you want to a have private conversation you might want to find someplace private for it."

"Then you overheard everything?"

"Kinda hard to sleep with you and your friend talking, but I suppose your sister and mines are both heavy sleepers, it seems." The pigtailed ten years old answered, while at the same time she was using her right thumb to point at the two girls in question over her shoulder.

Lelouch cast a glance at Suzaku who seemed to be a substantial sleeper himself.

"So you know I am a former prince...now what?" The young boy asked, expecting a confrontation of some kind, but it never came.

"Nothing really," Junko replied, shrugging her shoulders, "when you spend most of your life on the streets you view the world differently. So if you are expecting me to go on some patriotic rant about Japan and how they'll beat back Japan or me kicking your ass then no."

Lelouch felt some relief at that, but he wasn't sure about the direction of the conversation Junko was going to take it.

"You grew up on the streets, so the parents and house you had was a foster home?" Lelouch asked although he knew it was oblivious at this point.

"Of course captain obvious." The ten-year-old girl answered with a dismissive hand gesture. "It is why you didn't see me crying over their deaths. Not that I am ungrateful for a nicer roof, which was much better than that hole inside that old building I spent a good portion of my childhood living in."

"So that is how you overheard Suzaku and me talking. You are a light sleeper who is stirred by the slightest noise so you can be alerted to a potential danger." Lelouch deduced based on Junko's comments since her dangerous life of living as a homeless child, mainly since she was a girl, probably made her a potential target for some very shady and vulnerable people.

"Well, look who just proved to be observant?" The girl crossed her arms over her chest, "There were all kinds of wild animals out there, so you had to be careful. I guess it's thanks to that I adapted and grew stronger from it, but at the same time, I saw the world differently. Isn't that what happened to you when you lost your mother and got banished here you began seeing the world differently, and you changed too?"

Lelouch was surprised by the sudden seriousness in Junko, but he couldn't deny the weight and truth her words held. Reflecting on what he was like before the death of his mother, he could be called an ordinary boy who was born into a life of wealth and privilege and similar to Suzaku, he had never given much thought to the world around him nor the actual weight of being a Prince of Britannia.

He was a child until his mother died and her death and what followed ended whatever childhood he made changing him forever more.

Even though he didn't answer her outright Lelouch's silence and thoughtful expression was enough of a silent answer that she was right.

"I get the feeling you have no desire of letting things go as they are now are you?" Junko asked as the seriousness in her voice did not fade, but she did consider internally.

 _Better not_ _say_ _he'll hope for a better future or some crap._

"No you're right, I don't, but I know there isn't much a ten-year-old child can't do. For now, my focus is surviving this and enduring until a time comes that will allow me to do so." Lelouch said as the anger threatened to spill out, but the most intellectual portion of his mind prevailed in convincing him that there was nothing he could do, at least for now. "But...there is something I do know."

Junko looked at him in silence but noticed a contained darkness behind those eyes that held sorrow, despair, and rage that was eager to come out.

"To achieve my goals a question I must ask myself… to defeat a great evil do you stain your hands with evil to destroy it or do you stay steadfast and righteous even if it means surrendering to evil."

"So you are saying to achieve your goal you'll have to commit evil to destroy a greater evil?"

"Can you think of any other way to destroy a superpower that controls over half the entire world?"

"Good point, but I am relieved you are more realistic compared to others who might talk about good or evil prevailing over evil."

"Things like hope and optimism being the keys that topple evil exist in children's stories and cartoons," Lelouch answered coldly.

Junko nodded in agreement, "This is true, and anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot."

"You know you seem quite...different."

"I told you...when you experienced my childhood you view the world differently with your experiences shaping your thoughts and desires."

"You know what shaped me so what made you into what you are now?"

Junko considered that for a moment before shrugging her shoulders and then answering, "Just being born, I guess since I came into this world feeling my existence is a mistake."

"I doubt anyone can make such a judgment." Lelouch began before Junko interrupted him.

"A matter of perspective, I agree, but don't act sympathetic to me. I don't want it."

"Then maybe you should avoid saying things like _my birth was a_ _mistake_ since that sort of thing makes people sympathetic towards you."

Her eyes widen in self-realization before taking a moment to consider that as she tapped her right forefinger on her chin.

"Huh, I didn't consider that, so how about I just say I was born a defective human being whose desires and interests are quite different from others."

"Now that has me wondering if that was something your parents had done before you became homeless?"

Junko seemed uncertain for a moment, "I am not entirely certain either, but all I know is that my father was a Britannian while my mother was Japanese who died shortly after my birth, so I never got to know her or my father leading to me getting my mother's surname of Enoshima. Mukuro accepted the surname of our foster family Ikusaba."

"I see…" Lelouch said while he was certain what to make of Junko, but there was no question she was very different from any child his age that he had known. "Then I assume Britannia's conquest of Japan doesn't bother you."

"I think you know as well as I do Japan is pretty fucked even before this war started."

"And if anyone thinks the EU or the Chinese Federation is going to help them. They fail to grasp a war between the three superpowers over Japan would destroy the country with whatever leftover being taken over by one of the three superpowers." Lelouch noted as he highly doubted the other three superpowers would get involved for Japan's sake especially since Japan has been using its control over seventy percent of the world's Sakuradite as a bargaining chip for the small nation to gain some influence on global politics.

They would pretend it was for the sake of Japan and its people, but in reality, it would turn into a brawl to control the Sakuradite Mines destroying everything else in the ensuing crossfire until one side won. The Chinese Federation especially would become heavily involved since if a rival superpower controlled Japan that superpower would have a good staging point for a potential invasion of its soil in the future.

"I agree, and it's why Britannia is attacking with such overwhelming force. They want to end the war as quickly as possible before the EU, and the Chinese Federation can have a chance to get involved."

"Yes," Lelouch said in agreement before adding, "and I am sure that right now they are conducting negations with the other two superpowers to assure them that in their exchange for not interfering on Japan's behalf they would probably receive more Sakuradite than before as a way to buying their non-intervention."

"You know… I enjoy talking to you. I don't feel sick or bored talking to you." Junko said with an amused smile.

"Talking to you has been interesting, but I am not sure what to make of you."

"Why don't we leave that as a mystery for you to solve."

Ever since that conversation Lelouch and Junko had become friends if there was a proper word for it, so whenever they had stopped during the nights as they traveled together, they would become engaged in a conversation when everyone else was asleep. This arrangement for continue for almost two weeks as they moved across a war-torn Japan, but following the end of the month when word of the war's inevitable end was spreading the group reached their destination.

The setting sun was strangely appropriate since it was the last day the country would be known as Japan.

The meeting place and evacuation point where the trio was located in what used to be a massive city but was now nothing more than a wasteland after a Britannian bombing campaign nearly every building as nothing more than rubble and burnt bricks. Their meeting took place in a clearing overlooking an ocean where a Japanese soldier was saluting before a funeral pyre cremating his comrades.

Lelouch stood close to Nunnally, Junko, and Suzaku as Mukuro stood by silently clutching her half-burnt bear. Junko couldn't help but feel a little disappointed they were going to separate. Despite the despair from the separation and the possibility of not seeing him again was an incredible feeling, as it despair that helped her feel joy, but the fact that there was nothing or anyone of interest who could provide a conversation that wasn't mind-numbing boring.

"So what happens now?" Suzaku asked, but his expression and tone indicated concern. "What do you by you and Nunnally are going to be dead?"

"It's something that has to happen, right?" Junko answered understanding the intent.

"That's right, and we'll only be dead on paper," Lelouch explained. "We'll change our names too, but it's the perfect chance to fool Britannia into thinking we're dead. If we're dead, they can't make me and Nunnally be their tools and pawns anymore."

"That's it… you'll live on your own, but what about you Nunnally?" The brown-haired boy feeling more concerned for Nunnally given her disabilities as he was more confident in Lelouch being able to survive on his own. Nunnally was a different story though.

"I am fine as long as I can be with my brother."

"There are some good moves we can do for the time being. The Ashford Family has landed with the occupational colonist so we'll seek them out and accept their deal."

"Right they were your mother's supporters in the royal court right?" Suzaku said beginning to sound hopeful.

However, Lelouch who was ever the pragmatist, "It is not like we trust him, but we'll let him use us so we can use him. I think they want us as liability insurance in the event things don't go well for them, which I suppose must be a sign of complications arising back in Britannia."

"At least you know it will work out," Suzaku said, trying to remain hopeful, but Junko was silent.

This time Nunnally had a question for the young man. "What about you, Suzaku? What are you going to do?"

"There is your teacher Mr. Tohdoh right? Aren't you going to stay with him?" The former prince asked, knowing that during their time at the Kururugi estate Suzaku underwent training from Kyoshiro Tohdoh who was also a colonel in the Japanese army so presumably he was probably fighting in the war this whole time.

"I tried contacting him, but I couldn't reach him." Suzaku replied before revealing something else, "Mr. Kirihara says I should go to the Britannian Headquarters?"

"You mean the army?" Lelouch asked, feeling concerned for his first real friend since coming to Japan.

"The Kyoto Group is cooperating with the Britannians."

"The Sumeragi Family?" Lelouch asked, knowing it was the Sumeragi Family who held the most significant influence out of the other families that made up the Kyoto Group, a collection of Japan's most wealthy and influential industrialist who is rumored to be the real power behind Japan.

Or at least they were.

"Kaguya is their only successor."

"I see…" Lelouch said, realizing the situation and knowing the outcome as Suzaku had few options right now.

"Suzaku…" Nunnally said sadly, but Suzaku decided to ease her concerns.

"Don't worry and besides its better, if someone takes care of me since it's too dangerous for me right now since I am the Kururugi heir and the son of Japan's last Prime Minister."

Lelouch adopted a solemn expression, "Yeah, you that is true…"

"Suzaku," The wheelchair-bound girl began, "hold out your hand."

"Huh?"

"My mother taught me this a long time ago. If there is a hand reaching out to you, then everything will be ok."

Junko inched closer to Lelouch who began whispering.

"You know that won't help?"

"I know, but as far as Nunnally is concerned just leave her with that illusion," Lelouch whispered back.

"Stay safe Suzaku, but I hope you," Nunnally said, looking to Junko and her sister, "two will be safe as well."

"You don't need to be worried we were in a lot worse situations before," Junko said with confidence in her voice. "As your brother said I'd make it work out."

"I hope we can all meet again," Nunnally said before Lelouch wheeled her away to a waiting van and letting their drive to begin loading Nunnally into the vehicle.

However, Lelouch returned to the gathering as Suzaku decided to sit down on a rock just as the sun was beginning to sink below the horizon.

At that moment Lelouch spoke some words that would stick to the four of them for years to come, "Suzaku I swear that one day, so help me, that… I am going to obliterate Britannia!"

Suzaku was speechless, but Junko only smiled.

"I am sure your quest for revenge against your homeland will be more than interesting should you ever go down that path," Junko said as she started to formulate how she could incorporate Lelouch's desire for revenge into her plan to cause despair to spread around the world. "Should we ever cross paths again, rest assured that I will be more than willing to support you just to see which will crash and burn first: you or the world."

"I guess we will just have to see," Lelouch said, accepting the unspoken challenge from Junko, but Suzaku wanted to say something, but something held him back.

"I doubt this will be the last we see of each other. So you two better not forget us when we meet back up, or Mukuro will beat the shit out of you for forgetting us." Junko promised before the trio went their separate ways.

* * *

 **Five Years Later**

 **Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement**

* * *

Lelouch was just now returning to the Student Council building after a long day of helping Milly and was just flat out tired as he walked into the place he and his sister was living in courtesy of the Ashford Family.

Waiting for them was a Japanese woman in her early twenties with brown hair and matching eyes wearing a maid's uniform.

"Oh, Master Lelouch I am glad to see you have returned. I have already finished preparing dinner, and it took slightly longer than normal due to two unexpected visitors for you and Mistress Nunnally. They said they were very excited to see you again." Sayoko Shinozaki explained as the ninja maid noticed the arrival of the former prince.

 _I wonder who it is this time,_ Lelouch thought as he placed his jacket on a hook and walked into the dining room to see Nunnally talking with two girls while eating. "Hello, and who are you?" Lelouch asked as he sat down at the table.

"I can't believe you would forget us like that Lulu, and here I thought you would remember me after the promise we made all those years ago," one of the girls told the fifteen-year-old boy.

Lelouch noted that she had blue eyes and a fair skin complexion and long strawberry blonde hair while she wore clothes that looked like they belonged to a supermodel instead of a fifteen-year-old girl. The girl sitting across from her looked similar but different at the same time. The second girl's eyes were less round than her companion's, and her bust is also much smaller. The second girl also had short, bobbed black hair and freckles across the bridge of her nose. What stood out to Lelouch was that she wore plain and regular clothes designed to not draw attention to herself while also wearing a glove that covered all of her right hand.

It took Lelouch a moment to remember, but even though her hair was strawberry blonde now her face and her pigtails remained quite familiar.

"Junko…Junko Enoshima?"

"YAY!" Junko exclaimed happily, "You did remember me!"

Lelouch was taken against his will into a bear hug by the blonde woman who noticed a slight height difference. Junko was the same height as Lelouch, but that was because she was wearing high heels right now and without them, she would be an inch or two shorter than him.

"I would've been so despairingly sad if you didn't remember me."

"I am sorry, but fortunately I recognized the rest of you, but you changed your hair color didn't you?" Lelouch apologized as Sayoko brought out a plate of food for him to eat.

"I did warn you that there was a chance that he might not remember us," the second girl told her companion only for the first girl to glare at her.

"I know that it has been a few years since we met, but surely I haven't changed that much," the first girl told the former prince with a frown that Lelouch could tell was fake. "But I am so happy that you remembered me despite what my older sister thought otherwise."

"As far as I knew you two were dead since I haven't heard anything about you since we parted ways five years ago. Where have you been and why are you here?"

"I have been super busy with my modeling job, and Mukuro has been traveling with her friends for a while, but we both decided to take a little bit of a break from our day jobs. We simply got bored with what we were doing and decided to settle down and attend school here with our old friend Lelouch." Junko said while taking a sip of her glass that was just refilled by Sayoko.

"Mukuro had to pull a few strings to track you down, but we managed to find you. We talked with that old fart named Robert or Reggie or something who kindly provided us with a place to stay, here after we said we knew your secret," Junko explained while faking the fact she forgot Reuben Ashford's name, but she neglected to mention that a little blackmail was involved too.

"After he directed us to a private location for housing similar to what you have here in the Student Council Building, Junko insisted that we locate your residence and pay a visit. I would have preferred to wait until a better time, but Junko was insistent on intercepting you as soon as possible." Mukuro explained on behalf of her sister.

"I am just glad that we now have more friends we don't have to lie about who we are," Nunnally said with a blind smile since Junko and Mukuro were among the small few who knew they were former royalty.

The rest of the evening was uneventful as the group had a talkative dinner together.

"Well, it is getting late, and I do need my beauty sleep," Junko said with a yawn after finishing her food. "It was nice to see you two again, and I will be back tomorrow to talk more with you Lelouch. I can promise you that interesting days are surely ahead of us." the fifteen-year-old Ultimate Fashionista told the former prince as she rose from her seat and motioned for her twin to follow her.

 _I honestly have no idea how I feel about Junko being here, and something about her is suspicious._ Lelouch thought as the two Despair Sisters left the building and Lelouch looked down at a newspaper that was talking about how Hope's Peak Academy had a massive amount of money anonymously donated to them recently used for their talent identification program. _Probably has something to do with the Royal Family,_ Lelouch thought as he skimmed through the news article before moving on to an article talking about how Babel Tower will be having its grand opening next month.

 _I can tell these next few years are not going to go according to plan for anyone._

* * *

Returning to the present Lelouch was sitting in a limo with Junko while Rivalz had to ride his motorbike back to the school alone. Now sitting in the rear of the limo with Junko offering Lelouch a drink as the latter enjoyed a glass as well while having a conversation, which wasn't unusual as Lelouch, has been attending Ashford Academy since his freshman year and when Junko and her sister enrolled there were times they were together.

One of the frequent events was Junko challenges Lelouch to many games that included chess, various card games, and even video games. No matter what Junko had always lost to Lelouch, but unless it was a sport involving physical fitness, then Junko would win. However, the latter didn't see it as a real victory because ANYONE could beat Lelouch in physical games.

The school saw them as two teens with a healthy intelligence rivalry, but others suspected something more between them given Junko's reputation as a fashion model despite her half-Britannian heritage. She was extravagant, flashy and very _true_ to herself and not fake, which was ironic given that it was a mask to hide her true nature. However, her veil as a fashion model made her very popular among the people of Area 11 and Ashford Academy, which her successful modeling career worked because of her seemingly superhuman ability to predict trends.

"You never told me you had previously attended Hope's Peak Academy?" Lelouch began as it had recently become known that Junko had once attended Hope's Peak Academy, which was one of the most prodigious academies in not just Japan, but the entire world before the war that saw Japan became Area 11.

"There wasn't much to speak about that place. Most of the students there are stuffy and arrogant with an almighty attitude which annoyed me. Then I found out about you at Ashford Academy, and so I transferred out of that boring pit, but I have to say Milly's way of running things has kept things entertaining." Junko replied before taking a sip of her drink.

"You refer to what happened during the Halloween Party entertaining?" Lelouch said with his eyebrow twitching as that was one activity the infamous Queen of Tricks and Parties Milly Ashford had planned that he could forget.

"What everyone kept their clothes on, at least, "Junko with a causal if not amused dismissal before adding as a final thought, "… well most of them. But surely the Christmas Gift Chase was fun for you right? "

Lelouch did not want to remember that incident as his expression and tone was more than enough of an indicator. "You just HAD to bring that up."

It was about a month ago during Christmas that Milly Ashford had decided to try something new for the Christmas event. This year the academy organized a Christmas Gift Chase, but instead of chasing and hunting down actual gifts the objective was to chase down a fellow student, wrap him or her up in Christmas wrapping paper with a bow, and then he or she was your personal Christmas gift.

Other than declaring that _everyone_ was fair-game was already being a receipt for disaster, but what made it worse was the bounty she put on Lelouch's head by offering any student money or expensive gifts along with a promise for budget priority for their club if he or she brought Lelouch to her.

It was chaos.

Nunnally was safe from the havoc thanks to Sayoko, but Lelouch was not because he was about to leave the academy when all hell broke loose for some Christmas shopping. A horde of schoolgirls would've trampled the former prince had Junko and her sister intervened by _commandeering_ Rivalz's bike equipped with a sidecar.

Junko grabbed Lelouch pulling him into the sidecar resting him on her lap. Mukuro drove the bike, managing to dodge and evade the horde of girls wanting Lelouch, but of course, they faced opposition from the male student population after Junko. Thanks for Mukuro's handling of the bike the group had managed to escape the school which was just as fortunate.

The chaos only grew and soon fights began breaking out which only worsened matters at the academy prompting the police to be called in with riot control gear and Knightpolice Knightmare Frames.

Lelouch spent the evening in Junko's care, but he was wrapped up in Christmas wrapping paper forced to try some of her cooking with Mukuro observing. He was grateful she didn't try anything preserve with him, but he feared she was going to because of the fact Junko was wearing a revealing red dress when she brought him to their hotel room Junko had rented beforehand knowing the situation at Ashford Academy would spiral out of control.

"You just can't help yourself when you like to see what kind of ripples you can make."

"I suppose that is true…"

Junko smiled, but her smile concealed a darker purpose as her plans for a new kind of game she was going to unveil upon the world was about to begin.

And she had chosen Lelouch to be one of the sixteen to take part.

 _You are going to prove if you are worth my_ _continued_ _interest and we'll see if you can_ _,_ _walk the talk as it were._

* * *

A/N: Well, there you have it included how Junko and her sister met Lelouch, Nunnally, and Suzaku during the war while surviving two weeks together before parting ways. Junko tracked down, Lelouch and enrolled into Ashford Academy to be with him waiting to see if he'll make good on his word. Her interest in him is enough that as a test she will be inducting him into the first Area 11 Killing Game in the next chapter.

As the summary states, it would be the first of many games between them, but not all of them would revolve around a Killing Game as there are different tests and games Junko could throw at Lelouch due to her growing interest. It's not a good thing for him, especially if that attention turns into something else, but it's already beyond the "catching fancy" stage which has affected some of her actions and relations with other characters.

Some very minor ways while one in another way that will come into play later.

In the coming chapters, further details will arise about how Ultimate Despair came to be, the status of the Future Foundation and other characters from Danganronpa will be involved and how living in a place like Area 11 might affect them and events.

Note: I do intend to keep them in character, BUT given the combined world they live in now I do plan to take into account how it might affect the character to make it more realistic.

And yes, I do intend to aim for a Junko and Lelouch pairing, but considering Junko and her history I have taken into account the possibility I cannot make it work and I do have some alternative choices in mind depending on how the story unfolds. Keep in mind that like my other crossovers Lelouch and other Code Geass characters will possibly be paired with a Danganronpa character, but I could keep pairings between series as well too.

Except for Lelouch who will be paired with a female character from Danganronpa either, it will be Junko or someone else, and that is my final decision on that one.

I have a poll on my profile with a small list of potential victims who could be the killer or victims of the Killing Game.

I am looking forward to reviews and feedback, especially since this is my first time working with the Danganronpa series. So feedbacks and some suggestions for pairings and otherwise (don't bother asking me to pair Lelouch with Kallen or C.C. or any of the "usual" CG pairings because there are plenty of those stories out there already).

The mentioned Christmas Incident was inspired by a fanfic called A Geass Christmas Carol written by Franchise, I suggest checking it out.


	2. Chapter 2 The Deadest Game

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or Danganronpa in any shape or form otherwise I wouldn't be writing fanfics. And views represented in this story do not represent opinions of the author and if anyone feels offended by any part of this story then know it is unintentional.

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews and feedback, and I am going to assume I am getting Junko and Mukuro right so far, and I intend to introduce other Danganronpa characters as we get further into the story. So any feedback on their portrayal or even suggestions on how some of them might be affected by Area 11 is welcomed because it is my first time working with a lot of these characters and I know people have their expectations/thoughts on how individual characters should be.

Now for those who have reviewed, I have responded to, and now for those, I couldn't answer.

Evolution: Thanks and yeah, it's going to be like navigating a minefield in a literal sense.

That said, if anyone has looked up what happened to Junko's boyfriend in canon, then you'll understand my concerns and reasons why I am setting Mukuro as a back up just in case. Oh, and that guy will appear in this story as well too.

2/10/18: edited and cleaned up chapter

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback."_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **The Deadest Game**

(Three Days Later)

It was lunchtime at Ashford Academy with a group of girls sitting in the courtyard which was usually a favorite place for many to have their lunch since the fresh air breeze was relaxing for students and even some teachers. Among them was Mukuro who was sitting with other members of the student council that she was a part of as the Disciplinary Chairwoman.

Despite some opposition, because of her half-Britannian heritage, Mukuro won over the acceptance of her fellow students when she single-handedly thwarted an attack on the school by a third-rate resistance group. It didn't win over all of her critics, but the most bigoted of the students did learn two valuable lessons. One was that you do not mess with Mukuro Ikusaba unless you have a death wish, and second, as the head of the Disciplinary Committee Ashford Academy had managed to obtain a military trained security guard for virtually free.

Mukuro, dressed in the standard Ashford Academy uniform for female students that included the light yellow jacket with gold trims and black cuffs. Under it, Mukuro wore a white long sleeved shirt with a dark green tie bearing the Ashford Family as an emblem for the school. She had a black skirt along with navy blue knee socks and black shoes.

She quickly ate her boxed lunch in a rapid and very soldierlike way, but as she consumed her meal, she overheard the conversation shared between her and other members of the student council.

"Where has Lelouch and Junko disappeared to again?"

That comment came from one of the female members of the council, a young seventeen-year-old athletic girl with long orange hair and yellowish green eyes.

"How cute," The oldest of the gathering said with an amused smile, "you're worried Junko and Lelouch might be getting much closer than you."

Milly Ashford, the Student Council President, possessed medium-length blonde hair and blue eyes while having the quite the bust and attractive frame was leading the conversation between her and Shirley Fenette.

"Rest assured my sister is doing a photo shoot today so," Mukuro said with the cold professionalism that she was known for around campus. "Lelouch has gone to an appointment; I believe, so he isn't gambling today."

"An appointment?" Shirley inquired.

"Yes, apparently a representative from Hope's Peak Academy wishes to talk to Lelouch about enrolling at the academy, so he was invited to the academy to spend a few days there exploring the school. Depending on how it goes, he might stay longer and be allowed to see the new campus; they are building in the Britannian Homeland." Mukuro explained while lying with ease.

"Hope's Peak? Didn't you and Junko used to attend that place?"

The shocked exclamation came from the reserved member of the council and the last female member of the student council, not counting Junko, who has medium length dark green hair with indigo eyes with a very modest appearance wearing a pair of glasses.

"We did," Mukuro began explaining to a surprised Nina Einstein, "however, upon my sister finding out that Lelouch attended this school she left and enrolled here."

"That is still kinda surprising since Hope's Peak is one of the hardest to get into schools in all of Britannia if not the world," Shirley said as word of Junko and Mukuro having been former students of Hope's Peak Academy stunned many in Ashford Academy. It was because only the very best of the best are accepted at Hope's Peak Academy excelling at one skill or talent.

Unlike other schools in Britannia; Hope's Peak Academy accepted both Britannian and non-Britannia, a policy that was put in place when Japan became Area 11. However, unlike many of the country, Hope's Peak Academy remained under control of the Future Foundation under direct supervision from the Emperor of Britannia, who allowed them to continue as before. They were pushed to find the best of the best and weed out those unfit to attend regardless if they were Britannian or otherwise.

The Emperor saw Hope's Peak Academy and its method of teaching students and its selection process for enrollment as an ideal melting pot for not only producing the best of the best but as the ultimate competition. It was in the sense the students there were meant to be the ideal people, the schools around Britannia should be instructed to produce, and the academy doubled as a measuring stick, allowing the nobility to see what kind of children he expected their families to create.

If they could not match a non-Britannian in a specific field, they are a _disappointment_ as far as the Emperor was concerned. As another way of motivating the children of the Empire to be the very best, the Emperor would offer a non-Britannian student of the academy full Britannian citizenship.

"My sister didn't like the academy, and I wasn't quite fitting in, so I suppose we wanted to be with some friends," Mukuro admitted, although that wasn't entirely true either but it wasn't an outright lie either.

Graduates founded the Future Foundation graduates, and members of the facility from Hope's Peak before the war as its most intelligent students foresaw and predicted that Japan would lose within a month. They even warned the Japanese people that attempting to seek help from the other superpowers would only ensure Japan's destruction as they would be more interested in securing Japan's Sakuradite Mines than helping the small island nation.

Their successful predictions of how the war would progress and end along with the preparations and actions the academy took to survive the war despite the serve devastation impressed the Britannian Emperor greatly. Not only was Hope's Peak Academy allowed to remain under their control, placed as an exclusive zone under the supervision of the Emperor and the Homeland to shield the school from interference from the local government. Its graduates and some members of its facility assisted in forming the Future Foundation to act as a third-party intermediary for the other superpowers, but primarily they help distribute the sakuradite between the two superpowers.

As a result, they have gained a considerable international influence around the world as they have brokered talks between the nations and organize summits between them. Thanks to all of that and the money the academy's Reserve Course brought in Hope's Peak Academy grew in the last seven years as it had faculties and research labs that would make any university in the world jealous leading to the school becoming the finest in the world.

It led to a surge of foreign exchange students from other countries, who for their safety are advised to stay on school grounds which were enlarged to accommodate all of their needs, making it unnecessary for any student to leave the grounds.

Junko Enoshima and her sister were the only students to voluntarily leave the school and transfer to a lesser school, which sent shockwaves through the school and beyond. There were even rumors of attempts of convincing the two to return. Even so, her departure enhanced her reputation granting her more fame and popularity as a result.

"So if Lelouch gets accepted would you and your sister consider returning to Hope's Peak?" Nina asked.

"I highly doubt Lelouch would because it would mean being away from his sister."

"That is true, and I doubt Hope's Peak would recruit her," Milly said in agreement.

Unknown to Milly and the others Lelouch wasn't being recruited for Hope's Peak Academy and was being introduced to something much more dangerous by Junko's design. She had reservations about Junko's decision to include Lelouch in her Killing Game she had been planning for the last few months, especially after she saw the list of those who would be abducted and locked up inside the customized _background_ where the game would take place.

 _You have put together a list of some hazardous people,_ although, Mukuro wondered why Junko didn't include anyone Lelouch was close to. She knew Suzaku would make an excellent candidate to add in the game to create ideal conditions for Lelouch to suffer despair, but also his status as the son of Japan's last Prime Minister might provide some incentive for someone to murder him.

That, of course, would've certainly been useful for pushing Lelouch himself to commit murder.

 _Could there be another reason Junko didn't bring Suzaku into the game? I know drawing in Lelouch's other friends might raise too many questions if the game goes on for longer than a week._

Mukuro didn't know what her sister had in mind, but regardless, the game was set to begin soon and yet she felt deeply concerned about Lelouch's well being. Unlike her younger sister, Mukuro didn't take pleasure from the despair of others, nor her own, but she was ruthless and could quickly kill anyone without remorse. As far as the students of Ashford Academy were concerned, she was a cold and reserved person while usually indifferent to others unless they are her sister or Lelouch.

No one knew, but Mukuro had developed an attachment to the former prince which began when Lelouch began speaking to Mukuro to learn more about military hardware and tactics. She had spent her early teenage years as a mercenary in Europe when she ran away to join one such group for a taste of real combat and training. Their meetings were not an everyday event, but they usually met in the evening in the privacy of Lelouch's room where they could speak and hold discussions without any unwanted eavesdroppers.

 _He wanted to know about different weapons and tools that would be useful for a rebellion, and he was so eager to learn and listen to whatever I told him._

The thought brought a small smile to Mukuro's face, although Junko suspected she and Lelouch were becoming much closer than friends until Mukuro explained to her younger sister the purpose of her visits with Lelouch. Junko believed her as she knew as well as she that Lelouch wanted to bring down the Holy Britannian Empire, so knowing he would need an army wished to learn from Mukuro's experiences while at the same time assemble a shopping list.

 _I remember spending an entire evening educating Lelouch about the ideal choices of weapons for civilians._

Knowing it would be unlikely to obtain any followers for his rebellion with military training Lelouch inquired to Mukuro what weapons would be reliable, but most importantly easy to use and maintain requiring little training to use. Mukuro taught him that even though the military-issued firearms produced by countries like the EU and Britannia were better in quality with especially some Britannian made weapons having better precision the guns of the Chinese Federation were easier to handle.

The precision of some of their weapons was not high, but their ease of use made them very popular among civilian militias within the Chinese Federation and even outside of it.

 _I never spent so much time_ _with_ _anyone like that, except for my sister, but as much as I am interested in him, I fear Junko might not approve._

She was curious about seeing if their relationship could become something that was more than just friends, but fearful of her sister's anger Mukuro did not make any attempts.

 _I still worry_ _about_ _him._

Mukuro's feelings for Lelouch were not known to anyone, but they persisted enough that he was the one other person whose safety concerned her. However, deep down she felt confident that Lelouch would somehow survive and win her sister's game despite knowing that the odds against him.

* * *

Lelouch felt groggy from the drug that rendered him unconscious, but he was beginning to stir. His vision was blurry, but slowly focused returned to his eyes as did his strength as he felt his limbs were numb at first yet they recovered along with the rest of his body. He gained enough awareness of his surroundings to realize he was lying on a bed, but the room Lelouch was in was not his let alone any place he recognized.

The last thing he remembered was arriving at a supposed interview for Hope's Peak before he drank some water, Lelouch was offered, which afterward he remembered nothing.

Once he was fully awake and sitting upright as Lelouch's wits had returned to him, he began surveying the room. It looked like a small hotel room with a bed, a dresser and small bathroom with a door. The walls were painted red with a purple ceiling with a single overhead lamp, and there were little light fixtures along the walls ensuring a brightly lit room. The most obvious feature of the room was that it was fitted with security cameras throughout the room, leaving no corner of the room unobserved.

 _What the hell is this?_

Lelouch discovered there was a black bracelet on his right wrist; although it appeared to be blank, he couldn't remove it no matter what he did. It wasn't the only thing different he noticed because as Lelouch began to get up, he saw something in his pocket. Pulling it out, he discovered it was a small handheld computing device that was about the size of a Smartphone, but it had more of a tablet-like design. Using one hand, Lelouch turned on, the electronic tablet and saw there were three sections; map, a rulebook, and announcements.

The Rulebook was locked, but when Lelouch scrolled to announcements, he saw there was a notice informing all _players_ to use the map to find their way to the auditorium.

Seeing there was nothing else he could do, although realizing he was in a lousy situation Lelouch left the room. As he exited, he noticed the hallways were strangely lit by purple lightning adding an eerie atmosphere to the hall. Cautiously Lelouch made his way to the auditorium using his map to navigate his way through the hallways. The building didn't match any interior structure he knew of, but the design and layout of the halls were strangely similar to some hotel designed with a European taste of style to it.

Upon arriving Lelouch found a pair of large wooden ornate doors left open, allowing Lelouch to see a group of people inside, a total of sixteen people, most of which were arguing with one another right now.

"What kind of Britannian trick is this?!"

Those words came from a man Lelouch recognized was wearing an old Japanese Military Uniform with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was a heavy-set man with a beard and brown hair with matching eyes.

"It's nothing the government has sanctioned I assure you." A female voice snapped.

The woman was a middle-aged blonde haired woman who wore her hair upright was in her early thirties with long blonde hair and icy blue eyes wearing a purple dress with red high-heels.

As Lelouch approached the group, he heard a buzzing sound from speakers placed along the ceiling of the large room. The room had a stage at the opposite end with red curtains, black and white banners hanging from the ceiling. A podium stood at the center of the stage, but the sound of the speakers got everyone to stop arguing.

"Testing...testing one two…is this thing working?" A familiar voice spoke, causing almost everyone to realize with horror who abducted them. "Can you folks hear me ok?"

"What…is that who I think it is?"

The comment came from a rather hefty man with a darker skin tone with blue eyes, long blonde hair, but he had a dark brown beard and mustache, wearing a dark brown and gold trimmed Victorian suit shared among members of the nobility.

Lelouch observed in stunned, if not horrified silence as the full weight of the situation's gravity came crashing down on him like someone dropping a twelve-story building on top of him.

"I'll take those comments as a yes and roll out the welcome wagon, not literally of course, but without further ado!"

A moment passed as it was the intent of their host for the sake of dramatic effect before Monokuma popped up from behind the podium standing on it.

"I doubt an introduction is necessary at this point, but I am Monokuma," Monokuma greeted before adopting a cute poise by holding both hands in front of him, "pleased to meetcha!"

"Oh, we're fucked!" Another man cried out in horror. "He's going to kill us!"

The comment came from a Japanese man with long, disheveled black hair and lavender eyes in his late twenties. He was wearing a buttoned-up shirt adorned with a detailed red rose pattern and black jeans.

"Now now, calm down and let me explain," The two-tone bear said using its small hands to gesture for the group to remain calm, "but first I should welcome you all to your new living quarters."

"Living quarters, so how long are we supposed to be here?" Haiji Towa demanded.

"Oh for the rest of your life," Monokuma answered bluntly to the shock of the crowd, "so your new living quarters are your _permanent_ living quarters. Now there is no reason to panic because we have an amazing budget so all of your needs will be satisfied in perpetuity. Hell, this place is like a shelter designed to withstand just about anything, so if the whole outside world goes to hell, we got enough food, water, and breathable air to last us well over a hundred years. That said, it has also been built to keep you all inside."

"You just can't keep us here for the rest of our natural lives!" A blonde haired soldier in uniform shouted as he had blue eyes and a slightly skinny frame, but judging from the red wing, Lelouch saw on his suit the soldier was part of the Purist Faction.

"Natural…lives…" Monokuma muttered before breaking into a brief fit of sadistic laughter, "upupupu… that's rich, but it's funny you mention that since there is a way out of this."

"Would you care to enlighten us?"

The comment came from, to Lelouch's shock, a member of the Knights of the Round as Lelouch recognized the style of uniform, even though the color was more of a black and white outfit with a gold trim wearing a gold-trimmed orange cloak. He was all and roughly in his late twenties with purple eyes with auburn mullet hair with a single strand hanging down in the middle.

"The secret is that you have to commit a good old fashion murder. The one who murders a fellow player and gets away with it without getting caught will be allowed to walk out of here scot-free." Monokuma said before performing a somersault from the podium before landing gracefully on the floor in front of the stage. "I am talking pummel, shiv, bludgeon, mutilate, immolate, extirpate, asphyxiate or know magic then conjurate it!"

 _That can't be just it?_ Lelouch believed there was more to that secret than meets the eye, especially in the announcement referring to them as players.

"You guys know what you and this salmon have in common?" Monokuma asked while seemingly pulling a live salmon from out of nowhere. "Neither of you has the faintest notion how tingly the thought of watching you all kill each other makes me."

Lelouch hung back, but he grew increasingly unconformable and worried watching what seemed to be the teddy bear becoming perversely aroused as his white side became pink as Monokuma continued.

"I mean we're talking a free for all Gore Fest…there is nothing hotter than that."

"So we just have to kill someone…easy enough." The orange haired man, Luciano Bradley, said with a dark smile.

"Well, if you killed everyone that wouldn't make for much of a game would it?" Monokuma began before smiling, "but I do love your enthusiasm. That said, this game does have some ground rules which I should explain."

"Then enlighten us," Haiji called impatiently.

"Murder alone won't cut the muster as other requirements must be met." Monokuma began to explain. "You see the killer must get away with it to go free, which means to do so he or she must fool the survivors into believing he or she is not the guilty party."

The small bear pulled out a remote from once again seemingly nowhere. Using the remote a giant screen was lowered from the ceiling above the stage before an animated video began playing. The first scene was a group of people investigating a dead body.

"After every murder, you'll have time to investigate, although I'll know who did it, the fact is that you must figure out for yourselves who did it. I'll provide you with information on what killed the victim and other injuries he or she sustained along with the time of death…the rest you got to figure out."

Pressing the button on the remote the scene shifted to what appeared to be a courtroom of some kind, but unlike what Lelouch was familiar with there were podiums with people standing behind them while Monokuma was seen seated on an elevated throne overlooking proceedings.

"Once you've had enough time to investigate the survivors are to gather and debate the guilt and innocence of those who remain in a…wait for it…trial." The bear explained happily with its arms raised in the air before going further. "The trial format is based on parliamentary procedure; fierce back and forth being the order of the day. If the guilty party is correctly identified, then she or he will be swiftly punished BUT chose the wrong person, and the REST of you will be punished while the murder goes free. A beautiful high stakes trial system."

Monokuma appeared to be on the verge of tears as it felt a strong sense of pride in the system it has built.

"Wait just to make sure I understand," Kewell Soresi asked, appearing rather shaky, "chose wrong and the jury gets killed?"

"Yep!" The two-tone bear cheerfully answered without hesitation with its arms crossed over its chest.

"Now to ensure there are people left to conduct a proper trial with everyone is limited to killing two people per person. Try to kill more than two people, and we'll drop you so fast you won't even know you're dead."

When no one said anything or offered an objection, Monokuma took that as a sign to continue.

"Also a fun fact for you kiddos to remember is that the bracelet you are wearing allows us to not only monitor your location but your vital signs as well," Monokuma said using the remote to display a short animated clip explaining the bracelets after gesturing for everyone to look at the monitor. "So when someone dies, we'll know about it, but if the death is by poison, these bracelets will us what killed you so yes they neat pieces of tech."

The animated short displayed everything Monokuma explained, but more in depth, including how they would know if poison killed them and how they would know which one it was. The bracelets possessed advance biological diagnostic and analysis capabilities.

 _That isn't all_ _of_ _them is there?_ Lelouch thought, knowing there was another purpose.

"Now they serve the additional purpose of monitoring your location and if needed punishing you if you break any of the rules." The small bear said before proceeding to elaborate as another clip played, but this time the person began slowly dying in a somewhat painful manner as his skin started to turn purple.

"Lethal Injection?" Haiji said apparently horrified at the image they were seeing.

"Bingo," Monokuma said while using his remote to trigger a bell ringing, "someone give that man a gold star."

"So if we break a rule then we'll get killed?" A Japanese woman wearing a red dress possessing long pink hair and blue eyes inquired while feeling both nervous and afraid.

"Yep, and naturally that includes any attempts to escape and removing your bracelet," Monokuma said before hitting his palm upright with his fist after realizing something. "Oh!? Some areas are restricted to the players so if you enter those areas you will trigger the injection killing you before you can take your third step in a restricted area. Your map has the details."

"Oh fuck this shit!"

The outburst came from a middle-aged Japanese man with a muscular build. However, the rest of his appearance was questionable as his red hair was unkempt and dirty with his clothes ragged. He wore tattered black jeans with a stained white tank top complete with a blue jacket.

"I am not playing any fucking game."

"I beg your pardon?" Monokuma said while tilting its head to one side.

His calm composer didn't waver as Souta Daimon approached the small bear before proceeding to pick Monokuma by his head to hold him up in the air. No one joined him in his defiance against the bear, but Lelouch quietly took a few steps back. He had a bad feeling this was going to end badly for Mr. Daimon.

"Mr. Daimon," Monokuma's voice was strangely calm, which was unsettling. "I will ask only once that you put me down or face the consequences."

"Oh yeah, well how about I rip you apart unless you let me out!"

A second later a beeping sound could be heard as well as a flashing red light from Souta's bracelet. Everyone could only observe as Souta's hand that had been grasped around Monokuma's head turn a sickening shade of purple. The color began spreading up his arm slowly consuming the rest of his body. His body went limp allowing Monokuma to escape before Souta's body crumbled like a doll before thrashing about in agony. He couldn't scream because the poison had made it impossible to cry due to his nasal and throat being squeezed shut by the poison causing areas of his body to become painfully puffed up.

"That reminds me...another rule is that under no circumstances, no harm may befall the host of this game, me, any attempt of violence on my cute self," Monokuma explained before making its way back onto the stage. Dropping all friendly pretenses for a moment, Monokuma bore a fearsome expression while holding open its left hand to display a set of claws before announcing, "Will result in very deadly consequences."

Everyone casts a glance at Mr. Daimon's body whose body had stopped all movement as an oblivious indication that he was dead.

"I had hoped to avoid something messy like this during the first day of the game, but when you got an example, begging to be made, then you got to nip that problem in the bud before it ruins the game."

Monokuma performed a backflip onto the podium.

"Still get smart with me any of you, and you'll regret it."

No one said anything but preferred to stay silent. Some were indifferent to Souta's demise while the rest were frightened of crossing the bear.

"Well, if there is nothing else then this includes the opening ceremony to the Area 11 killing games. So stop the silent treatment and start plotting."

With one final laugh, Monokuma vanished behind the podium, leaving behind a silent Auditorium.

* * *

Elsewhere inside the secret control room in the most secure section of the facility, an amused Junko savored all of the mixed expressions her performance as Monokuma had left. She was eager to see the first murder, wondering who would die first, although the Vampire of Britannia will kill someone soon. However, someone else could do the deed, knowing that Bradley will kill someone given the Knight of the Rounds' reputation.

Junko was wearing the Ashford Academy Uniform; however, she modified it to match her preferred style of dress. The white dress shirt, unbuttoned enough to expose both her cleavage and the top of her black-and-red bra. Her long green Ashford tie was worn loosely around her neck, and lastly, instead of the regular shoes worn by female students, Junko replaced them with mid-sized black boots with platform heels and red laces.

"I guess Masaru will be disappointed that his dad died before the game started," Junko said followed by a disappointed sigh, "but given how violent he gets when things don't go his way I shouldn't be surprised."

"It is a little disappointing because I know Masaru was hoping Mr. Monokuma's Brewery would've executed him."

Sitting in a wheelchair behind Junko was an elementary school-aged girl. She possesses short green hair tied with a red ribbon and matching eyes with a distinct Manji pattern as the iris. She wore a knee-length black dress with a decal of a pelvis and spine on its back obscured by her wheelchair.

"At least the rest of their parents have taken the lesson to heart," Junko replied as she began using a keyboard to start preparation for a proper broadcast to announce the game she had launched. No one would know the full roster of those involved unless they die or get executed as the identity of the victor will be kept anonymous as part of their prize.

Monaca Towa sat as she watched her idol and surrogate older sister work.

"Besides, once Haiji dies, there will be no one left to stop you from assuming control of the Towa Group," Junko commented. What she didn't mention that with Haiji's demise coupled with the recent death of their father Tokuichi Towa, his daughter would be free to assume his seat with the leaders of the Six Houses of Kyoto.

Ever since the Kururugi Family's fall from grace, especially with rumors spreading of a traitor within the family itself that engineered Japan's fall, the Towa Family assumed their place as one of the six leading families of the Kyoto Group. Their power and influence grew mainly because one of the specialties of the Towa Group conglomerate was their research and development into robotics. Knowing that Japan couldn't win the war against Britannia the Towa Group established over a dozen secret factories where the Towa Group would produce weapons capable of fighting against the Knightmare Frames of the Britannian Empire.

However, as time went on Haiji Towa was unable to produce an acceptable weapon, so about a year ago control of their research and development was given to Monaca, who, despite her age was revealed to possess a genius level intellect and was a natural at developing robots that were highly advanced. Her intelligent, saw she enrolled into Hope's Peak Academy's Elementary School Division, but to avoid suspicion her father arranged for her to have an exceptional tutor who was working with the Kyoto Group to develop Japan's first original Knightmare Frame.

"It will be nice to have no one poking their noses in Monaca's business as she makes Big Sis Junko an army of Mister Monokuma. I'll even make some Monokuma themed Knightmare Frames that will be WAY better than the junk Monaca has produced for the Japan Liberation Front," Monaca exclaimed as she viewed Junko as the only real family she had. Monaca Towa, despite her genius, was always abused as an outsider by the family because she was born out of wedlock with her father's mistress.

Unknown to anyone Monaca and her friends, who had been suffering from the cruel treatment of their parents, had considered committing suicide. Before they could Junko, who had still been attending Hope's Peak Academy at the time, intervened and convinced them that the adults were the ones who are wrong. But in doing so, she gained more followers with Monaca is being more zealous than the rest even though she knew Junko was only interested in her because of her ties to the Towa Group and by extension the Six Houses of Kyoto.

When Junko left Hope's Peak Academy to attend Ashford Academy, she maintained contact with Monaca. At the same time, she began helping Junko build Ultimate Despair by creating the first in a long line of Monokuma robotic units which would act as both her avatar to stay hidden behind the scenes while serving as the organization's mascot. She initially used a small lab; she had in the robotics division of the school Junko had helped arrange for her to borrow to build earlier versions of Monokuma.

Once Monaca assumed control of the Towa Group's secret factories she converted some of them to producing Monokuma units for Junko as well as turning two of the plants into bases for Ultimate Despair and one of them into the place where the Killing Game was now taking place. Her family didn't bother her as long as her creations pleased the Kyoto Group, but in the last month, her older half-brother and father had become nosy about her actions when certain divergences of funds and resources were appearing.

It was the primary reason that led to Haiji being involved in the Killing Game while Monaca showed her father what she made before the Monokuma robots killed him on her command.

"Well, rest assured I'll love whatever you are cooking up," Junko answered with a smile before she began broadcasting the new announcement video she made while including a clip of Souta dying.

* * *

Throughout Area 11 everyone's television devices, including their portable devices began receiving Junko's broadcast, which was possible thanks to some inside help she now held at Hi-TV studios thanks to the growing ranks and influence of Ultimate Despair.

The video opened with a black screen before a spotlight was shining on Monokuma who was sitting in a large chair holding a wine glass filled with red wine.

"Well hello, again Area 11 it is me Monokuma!" Monokuma greeted with a wave followed by a warning in an amused tone, "The following contains violence, coarse language and adult situations not suitable for minors. Viewer Discretion is advised."

The robotic bear began laughing with its signature laugh.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, Boys, and Girls… I Monokuma at this moment announce the start of the First Area 11 Killing Game!" Monokuma exclaimed before leaping out of his chair spreading his arm wide as a gesture of excitement. The gesture was even followed up by party poppers being set off around him with colorful confetti released from the ceiling.

The scene shifted to show an animated clip displaying fourteen people as animated white bears. Monokuma appeared in the bottom left-hand corner as he proceeded to narrate the rules and the set up of the Killing Game.

"The set up is simple: fourteen people locked up together. Now their living conditions are like five-star hotel level accommodations with all of their needs provided. Everyone has their sleeping quarters too, so yada yada moving right along."

The animation shifted to one of the bears becoming black with evil red eyes.

"But if they want to escape, they must kill another player and not get caught by the other players."

A short animation of a Monokuma being killed in the following ways as _examples_ to the population of Area 11 to illustrate the various methods of murder that was allowed, or instead was encouraged to be used by the players of his Killing Game.

"I am talking, bashing"

An image of Monokuma on the ground with a giant hammer slammed into its head before showing a similar picture, but only Monokuma stabbed with a knife.

"Stabbing!"

Another set of images included Monokuma with a massive lump on its head before a giant machine crushing him.

"Clobbering and Crushing..."

The next images showed Monokuma in a meditative sitting posture while on fire.

"Torching!"

A picture of Monokuma shown with his head sliced off.

"Naturally the classic beheading is a nice one!"

Now a ghost-like Monokuma appeared floating towards the heavens.

"If you got the talent then Hexing is an option."

Then the next animated image was a scene where a Monokuma sitting on the ground with its stuffing spilling out from a wound on its stomach.

"Gutting and lastly..."

The final clip was a pair of unseen hands was strangling Monokuma.

"Wringing!"

The clip ended with an animated short now showing Monokuma seated on his throne like before in previous broadcasts, but this time there were podiums arranged in a circle before him, fourteen of them, each of them with a bear wearing a suit. Thirteen of them were white, while the last one was black.

"Any method of killing is allowed, but there is a limit of two kills per player. Since if we had a player who killed everyone, then we wouldn't have enough for the next stage of the game to determine a winner and a loser." Monokuma explained to an island full of people who had been rendered speechless prompting the bear to continue. "After each murder, those who are left will be given time to investigate before gathering for a trial to debate the guilt and innocence of those who remain. I'll know who did it thanks to all of the security cameras we have placed throughout the complex to ensure a fair ruling, and yes we even got hidden ones too."

The animated clip displayed back and forth debate to illustrate further the purpose of the trials and how they would proceed.

"Now if the guilty player is caught, then everyone is allowed to continue as normal while the murder is punished." Monokuma explained as the clip showed him dragging away the black bear. "However, if the wrong player is proclaimed guilty, then the guilty player goes free while everyone else gets executed instead."

The black bear was shown doing a sort of victory dance as Monokuma was shown dragging all of the white bears away to be punished.

"Now you are likely wondering what punishments am I talking about and what will they entail? Well, if you all recall what happens to the people who have appeared in my little broadcasts, then I mean exactly that." Monokuma answered with a very sinister tone. "Naturally, they could be zip-a-dee zapped in an electric chair, chokedy-choked in a gas chamber, rippedy-ripped up in my brand new giant food processor I am itching to try out."

The scene shifted to Monokuma who was now surrounded by a giant stack of banknotes which the stakes were twice the height of the sadistic bear.

"Of course, aside from the freedom I'll be offering the killer who pulls off the perfect murder two things, his or her name will remain anonymous and ten million Britannian Banknotes. Unless of course, you are the A-list players we threw into the mix, so we got the Ambassador of the Chinese Federation who was at the Chinese Federation Consulate Gāo Hài is the first."

A picture of the tall, pale and lanky Chinese man dressed in the yellow and white robes of a High Eunuch with some red face marking with Green-Blue eyes.

"Next up we got a member of the Japan Liberation Front to play called Josui Kusakabe a Lieutenant Colonel," Monokuma announced as a picture of the man was displayed for all of Area 11 to see. "But last and not least our main contender is Luciano Bradley the Knight of Ten!"

Now a photo of the Vampire of Britannia was shown alongside the top three A-list players of the Killing Game.

"That's right Monokuma got a Knight of the Rounds to play so you can expect a murder soon. As for everyone else I am not telling you who else I kidnapped for the game to build some good suspense." The two-tone bear said before playing a clip of Souta's demise by lethal injection. "However, I will say that one Souta Daimon has died because he broke the rules and attempting to attack yours truly. So that leaves us with thirteen players remaining, what a great number to start the game at."

Monokuma began wrapping up his broadcast by appearing to be in ecstasy.

"I'll be releasing future broadcasts when someone dies and who gets executed, so who is going to die first but most important of all who will win my game? Toodles!"

With that Monokuma's broadcast ended, but it wasn't even a second after it had concluded that all hell broke loose.

* * *

Junko and Monaca saw it happen on Social Media Sites, News Web Sites, and community forums as well, but regardless the results were identical. It was likely watching them light up like Christmas trees as people began talking about the Killing Game with others, even worrying about who else got abducted, because if Monokuma could capture someone like a Knight of the Round then who else _could be a player in_ his game.

"Some people don't seem to believe Big Sis Junko captured Mr. Bradley."

"They'll know I did soon enough, especially now that the government, especially Clovis must be shitting themselves right now. Oh, and I made sure a copy of these broadcasts, slightly modified, was played in the Chinese Federation, so they know their ambassador in Area 11 got abducted." Junko said as pitting a Knight of the Round into a killing game with an international ambassador like Gāo Hài was a recipe for disaster, especially as it's a known fact for about a year Monokuma and the Ultimate Despair has been running rampant in Area 11 despite efforts made to stop them.

"I guess that means Viceroy Clovis is in some enormous trouble."

"And I am just getting started," Junko said with a Chester Cat-like smile.

* * *

A/N:

 **Survivors Remaining: 13**

Well, the board is set, and Junko has stacked the deck against Lelouch, although it's fortunate that Junko hasn't revealed the identities of the other participants to hide Lelouch's participation. This is meant to likely this is to cause panic and despair since in a place like Area 11 there are probably a lot of people who go missing regularly. Likely to be more so for the Japanese, but I am sure some Britannians vanish too which will add to the panic that Junko has unleashed.

Here is the full list of participants:

Lelouch Lamperouge

Luciano Bradley

Josui Kusakabe

Gāo Hài

The Black King

Mrs. Stadtfeld

Kewell Soresi

Alicia Lohmeyer

Minoru Kemuri

Hojo Shingetsu

Arata Utsugi

Yuuma Utsugi

Haiji Towa

Now I did consider using other Code Geass characters, but I picked the ones likely to be in the general area literally and as for other Danganronpa characters…I did contemplate using some, but I thought best to save some of them for now and instead created some characters and their surnames including the one who died should be a good hint who they are the parent of another set of Danganronpa characters.

Considering that everyone is going to end up dead one way or another I couldn't think of any no one or my story would miss from the Danganronpa.

BUT something to note that characters who died in the first game might have a fair shot at surviving in this story.

And lastly Monaca Towa's appearance, well given that she was the one who provided the Monokuma units for Junko in the Killing Game how could I not involve her. Although keeping with her back-story and character I established her background as the same in canon with the change that due to her genius and aptitude for robotics (and taking into account conditions of Area 11). I thought the Towa Group under pressure from Kyoto for better weapons would put Monaca in charge of producing the Knightmare Frames used by Japanese resistance groups, primarily the JLF.

Which means expect Monokuma-themed Knightmare Frames to appear, and yes it's certain the Warriors of Hope will use custom made Knightmare Frames later in the story as the scene between Monaca and Junko was meant to imply. Although the hardest part was trying to keep the buildup of Ultimate Despair and everything else realistic, which I'll offer some details on how Ultimate Despair multiplied which even came as a surprise to its founder.

That said I will also try to avoid an info dump of shorts with the next chapter, but that being said Lelouch's chances for survival don't look good.

Anyway, I look forward to your reviews, and I thank you in advance for them because they are much appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3 Motivations

A/N: Thanks for the review guys and I am sorry that no alert for chapter two being posted went out, but it seems they had fixed that problem. I hope so at least.

So without further delay here is the next chapter and when you are done reading check out the new poll I put up on my profile with details behind why it's up in the author notes at the bottom of the chapter.

2/10/18: edited and cleaned up.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their mind"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **Motivations**

As expected chaos and panic erupted in Area 11, as many became frantically worried about those who could be missing could be a player in Monokuma's Killing Game. Even though police had reassured the public, they would, but everyone knew the police hadn't been successful in stopping Ultimate Despair, a group that appeared out of nowhere a year ago and has grown into the most dangerous terrorist organization in Area 11.

Terrorist organization was probably not an accurate title for a group that seeks to spread and indulges in every form of despair regardless if it is for themselves or others. Its members murdered friends and family while some even starved themselves to death, which was some of the most common acts they had begun with before their influence and ranks grew alarmingly fast in the months that followed after Monokuma made his first televised appearance. They went from a small terrorist group into a large organization within six months and sought to likely drive Area 11 into self-destructive anarchy as opposed to liberating it from Britannian rule as some groups did.

Of course, Junko laughed at the other resistance groups as they sought nothing more than resistance against the system and even the Japan Liberation Front which had more resources and military trained personnel wasn't able to accomplish anything meaningful towards that goal. True, they had some success, but their success was limited at best. As Junko watched the news reports on a wall monitor showing different television programs along with varying outlets of news reporting on the Killing Game holding a Monokuma in her hands as it sat on her lap she recalled a conversation between her and Lelouch.

" _They have no choice but to die out."_

Junko wasn't too surprised, but his reasoning intrigued him, especially as many Japanese blindly believed the JLF would still liberate their country from Japan despite over five years had passed since then.

" _Historically, there are only a few cases where groups like the JLF have reclaimed their government. Do you know why?"_

" _Because they keep trying the same old tactics, hell I heard a lot of them still use Japanese weapons."_

" _Exactly,"_ Lelouch had said with a smile back then, _"The problem is they can't switch their way of thinking. Their mentality is too old which leads to all of their military power wasted."_

" _Change is unlikely at this point, so they'll get destroyed, or they'll collapse."_

 _"With Clovis in charge I doubt the military would aggressively pursue the JLF enough for that, but if someone else with a better mind for military matters were to assume the mantle of Viceroy, then I am sure they would be wiped out depending on who replaces Clovis."_

A key factor for the Japan Liberation Front having both lasted as long as they have and their strings of successes. The Viceroy of Area 11, Clovis la Britannia, was an incompetent ruler, to put it bluntly. He was no military leader nor was he the kind of man suited to run a colonial government, and not to mention his taste for fashion designs were also very questionable as Junko reluctantly had to do a photo shoot with some of Clovis's line of swimwear.

She was glad she managed to figure out a way out of future shoots with anything designed by Clovis. Otherwise, she might have considered strangling herself with his swimsuits than posing in one again.

However, it was these factors that made Ultimate Despair successful as well, but there was another most important one they took as an advantage.

Internal Corruption.

Area 11's government and the military was corrupted to the core including its law enforcement divisions. Pay off the right people, and you could get away with anything. In fact, those currently in higher ranking positions including those commanding sections of Britannia's Military and higher had obtained their jobs through a combination of blood connections and bribes. Much of the money used to bribe their way to the top by selling information to resistance groups and even selling weapons about to be disposed of onto the Black Market.

Junko Enoshima took advantage of this fact, but she took it one step further and collected plenty of evidence, including video recording to blackmail those people into helping her or keeping it if they attempt to sell out Ultimate Despair upon which they would release it to the public. She had police officers, their superiors and people within the government and military itself as well as those in the broadcasting and communication divisions which has enabled her to broadcast all of her televised Monokuma appearances.

Ultimate Despair's most significant advantages were their absolute disregard for morality and the lives of others and their own lives, which allowed them to do whatever was necessary.

 _All of the myths and rumors that spread around Monokuma were helpful too._

Another reason for their success was the mascot and public leader of Ultimate Despair the mysterious stuffed bear known as Monokuma.

Junko knew appearing as the public leader of an organization like Ultimate Despair would only be her downfall and being a human being her influence was limited despite her popularity as a model, but realized that having something that wasn't human with an air of mystery about it would make for something more compelling to follow. Thus Monokuma was created, having begun as a simple design Junko had taken inspiration from the half-burnt bear Mukuro had owned as children when Japan fell.

The fact that no one could believe an organization like hers could obtain the means to create fully functional robot helped her establish a reputation for Monokuma resulting in some rumors beginning to surround him.

 _My favorite rumor is the one where people believe he was born from a discarded teddy bear left by a child who died during the war between Japan and Britannia before the wailing cries of the dead brought the bear to life seeking to spread sorrow and despair upon those still living as a form of revenge._

There were others like Monokuma being the result of a satanic ritual gone wrong.

Regardless the fame Monokuma gained from his televised executions and murders as well as the one who offered that despair was the most fabulous mercy to the painful existence called life propelled it into infamy. In fact, it was a few hours ago that Monokuma claimed the title of Public Enemy Number One for the entire Holy Britannian Empire.

 _Well, I can't take all of the credit since our chats have given me some ideas including places where to look for some potential good recruits, so some special thanks to you Lelouch._ Junko thought with a wide-toothy smile as she was eager to see the first murder happen.

Lelouch didn't know it, but while their discussions about the different resistance groups was a nice change from the usual chatter most teenagers their ages would engage in Junko had used these conversations to plan out and build her organization, Ultimate Despair, using the unknowing advice Lelouch had given her.

 _I stacked the deck against you, so time to see if you can keep defying my expectations._

* * *

The first morning was quiet and uneventful, which was remarkable as most including Lelouch had expected the Knight of Ten to kill someone. However, it seemed he didn't, which Lelouch believed was due to the possibility that if anyone knew his reputation well enough, they would know if anyone died he would be the number one suspect. His reputation suggested him to be quite bloodthirsty, which was appropriate given his name, but it seemed that even he had some degree of intelligence.

 _Meaning he'll avoid doing anything that could get him quickly pegged as a murder suspect for now until a better opportunity comes along._

It didn't help matters as tensions were high.

Lelouch had considered remaining in his room, but was concerned that would only put him in danger and cast reasonable suspicion on himself should someone get killed. So like everyone else Lelouch gathered with the other players in the mess hall, which served as an unofficial way for everyone else to see who was still alive. The high school student was careful not to draw suspicion to himself, but avoiding people might also draw the ire of a potential murder.

Either way, it felt like Lelouch was walking a tightrope over a water tank full of man-eating sharks.

No one else was interested in talking to anyone much, but Lelouch was mindful and kept his ears open to eavesdropping on any useful information especially should a murder happen. Besides, he could find other valuable information since it was clear he would need to commit the perfect crime to survive. Lelouch realized the problem is that with the mix of Britannians and non-Britannians as prisoners the former prince knew if a Britannian died, then the Britannians would be quick to blame the Japanese and Chinese Ambassador and likewise the reserve would happen if one of them got killed.

 _Monokuma took that into account to increase the chances of the survivors to kill themselves by voting for the wrong person, but of_ _course,_ _that is something a killer can seize as an advantage._

It was all the more reason Lelouch needed to keenly observe everyone to look for possible signs of motivation or anything to hint at foul play afoot.

 _Of course, it's likely that Monokuma will no doubt use other means to motivate us to kill someone._ Lelouch thought as he quickly concluded that Monokuma would no doubt offer money at some point as an incentive while he was confident that would merely be the first. _If you consider the possibilities and the people trapped here you could use blackmail and even threats towards your friends as family as motivators._

It was only a question of time, and Lelouch was sure if someone didn't die soon, then Monokuma would very well play that card.

A thought just occurred to Lelouch at that moment, _or maybe a would-be killer could be waiting for such an opportunity either benefit the most from it or use it as a means to pin the blame on someone else._

As Lelouch focused on eating his breakfast, he went over in his mind the other rules related to the game he was forced to play. There were different rules that Monokuma did not mention but included in the digital device everyone received, so Lelouch spent the evening going over both the map and the rules.

* * *

 **Rule #1:** Players may reside only within the Game Area. Leaving the Area is unacceptable and will be punished accordingly. Your map will have the details of the Game Area boundaries.

 **Rule #2:** Curfew is from 10 pm to 7 am. Some areas are off-limits at night, so please exercise caution. Refer to your map for details.

 **Rule #3:** Sleeping anywhere other than the dormitory will be punished accordingly.

 **Rule #4:** With minimal restrictions, you are free to explore Game Areas at your discretion.

 **Rule #5:** Violence against the host, Monokuma, is strictly prohibited, as is the destruction of surveillance cameras.

 **Rule #6:** Anyone who kills a fellow player and becomes "blackened" will win, unless they are caught by the other players.

 **Rule #7:** Once a murder takes place, a trial will begin shortly after an investigation period. Participation is mandatory for all surviving players.

 **Rule #8:** If the guilty player who committed the murder is exposed during the trial, he or she alone will be executed.

 **Rule #9:** If the guilty player who committed the murder is not exposed, they alone will win, and all remaining players will be executed.

 **Rule #10:** Lending your e-Handbook to another player is strictly prohibited.

 **Rule #11:** The guilty player may only kill a maximum of two people during any single Killing Game.

 **Rule #12:** You may break into any room you wish except for rooms leading into forbidden areas not allowed as noted otherwise you'll be punished on the spot.

 **Rule #13:** The Body Discovery Announcement will play as soon as three or more people discover a body for the first time initiating the investigation period.

* * *

 _Based on these rules, it's more likely a killing will happen during the late night hours, although it's still possible a murder can occur during the day there is_ _a higher chance of being caught in the act._ Lelouch reasoned, but judging by the map new areas of the _game arena_ will be unlocked for future exploration which would also allow for more opportunities to murder without getting caught.

Then the fact that murder wouldn't be known until three or more people found a body providing time for a killer to tamper with the crime scene.

 _Until the arena is more open to us, we are limited to the cafeteria, auditorium, laundry, trash room and the dormitories. With thirteen people in such close_ _quarters,_ _it would be hard for a murder to take place with the risk of being caught quite high unless it's during the late night hours where the chance of discovery is low._

Lelouch weighed his options, and he knew that committing murder would be difficult for him since his own body was lacking in both endurance and strength, which would make him an easy target if he wasn't careful. The former prince took into account that if he were to commit a crime he would likely need to catch someone completely off guard or poisoning would be his best weapon choice.

 _It won't be enough for me; I_ _must kill someone a weak teenage boy like me could never be expected to kill someone._

Before Lelouch could consider anything further an outburst drew his attention.

"Don't bring that up now," The Britannian woman with blonde hair, wearing the purple and blue dress snapped at another Britannian woman with light brown hair, glasses, blue eyes wearing a green-tinted dress.

A few people vaguely noticed the outburst wasn't loud enough to draw the attention of the entire room, but Lelouch was close enough he could hear it more clearly.

"I bring it up because you have a good opportunity for you?" Alicia Lohmeyer said with a glare to Mrs. Stadtfeld. "I know the truth about that so-called daughter of yours."

The blonde haired woman narrowed her eyes in repressed anger, but Lelouch was careful to avoid looking at them and merely pretended to be unaware of their discussion. However, he was trying to listen in as best he could, but it was difficult as he was trying not to appear obvious about it. Of course, he suspected that he might not be the only one who was listening as well too as an argument between two people could provide a killer with an opportunity to murder someone and place the blame on someone else.

 _Could she be attempting to provoke a confrontation? Or tempting someone into committing a murder?_

After breakfast, Lelouch used his time to explore the rooms they had access to while being mindful of his surroundings and anyone nearby. As confident as he was that no one would attempt a murder during the daylight hours it was no excuse to exercise extreme caution. It was about after dinner when Lelouch returned to his room, and he was pleased that the door to his room was electronically locked and it could only open with his electronic key that was coded to his fingerprint ensuring no one could use his key unless his hand held it.

 _At least I don't have to worry about anyone breaking into my room unless I leave the door unlocked._

The doors could be unlocked to allow others inside, but when leaving or inside the room, the doors could be locked using the electronic key cylinder that Lelouch had found in his pocket shortly after discovering the electronic device. Still, Lelouch didn't feel confident their rooms were meant to be a haven and the security measures were possibly just in place to lure potential victims into a false sense of security. A note taped to Lelouch's bathroom door seemingly confirmed this.

Notice to all players that during curfew the water will be turned off until morning.

 _So I must take a shower before ten o'clock at night then, but…_

Lelouch wondered who had entered his room to post the sign, although he suspected Monokuma must have some master key that allows entry whenever he pleases. However, given how the bear seems to disappear and reappear at will he wondered if there was something else the bear was using to move around without detection.

His thoughts were interrupted by an overheard announcement by Monokuma.

"Attention all players…in your dresser drawer you'll find a special present I have given each of you, so that being said, I encourage all of you to let your imaginations run wild."

The former prince walked over to his drawer and opened it to find a toolkit.

 _This kit even includes a set of_ _lockpicks_ _too._

There was no way to pick the locks leading to their rooms, but Lelouch reasoned there were other places the players could use their lockpicks on to get to potential targets in different rooms. Lelouch was certain now that there were going to be additional places open to them later on that could provide a would-be-killer with better moments of opportunity.

Even knowing no one could pick the lock into his room, Lelouch not only made sure the door was locked, but he managed to push one of the dressers against the door. It was a very exhausting endeavor, but he managed to push it against the door. However, it was unlikely Lelouch was going to do it every night given it had taken him almost an hour to push it into place.

It would take him over an hour to move it out of the way of his door tomorrow, but regardless Lelouch felt a little safer tonight.

The following morning Lelouch, after struggling for over an hour to move the dresser out of the way, made his way to the cafeteria for breakfast. Everyone showed up which meant there was no act of murder that had been carried out the night before, but as a change from the last two days Monokuma suddenly appeared on the monitor hung on the wall inside the room.

"Attention all players, would everyone report to the auditorium for a special announcement."

Some made their way to the auditorium while others were understandably a little hesitant about it, but sure enough one by one everyone gathered in the auditorium where Monokuma was waiting with a stack of envelopes next to him as he sat atop the podium.

"You know I am a little shocked there hasn't been anyone killed in two days, so I have to say I am just shocked," Monokuma asked with a perplexed expression on his face.

"What is to stop you from killing us if we presumably play your game and someone gets away with it?" Gao Hài asked.

Monokuma seemed offended by that before saying, "What are you calling Monokuma a lair, although I do tell friendly lies puhuhu. But seriously, I have given you my promise that the winner will go free alive and well."

"Still you can't expect us just to start killing each other at the drop of a hat." Haiji Towa noted.

"You are right. I did wonder if some of you are too scared and don't have that killer instinct or maybe some of you are worried you might be labeled a killer the moment someone dies?" Monokuma asked with one paw on its chin as it adopted a pondering posture. "Well, sad to say I am bored to tears of waiting, so I am just going to have to provide a little motivation to get things going."

"What kind of motivation?" Mrs. Stadtfeld asked while everyone was quiet.

"Why," the two-tone bear began picking up the envelopes, "Puhuhu, yer painful, humiliating, dark secrets you want to keep buried."

Lelouch kept his composure, but internally he was beginning to worry as Monokuma started tossing them an envelope to the person whose name was on it. Monokuma continued to speak after everyone got their envelopes as they proceeded to open them.

"Now those are full of dirt that I dug up on each and everyone one of you all by my lonesome." The bear began chuckling again before clarifying. "I got your most embarrassing memories and things you would rather forget. No need to share with anyone, but by all means read them."

Lelouch cautiously read his letter, and his eyes went wide at the text written upon the note.

 **Your real name is Lelouch vi Britannia, the presumed dead prince who was supposed to have died seven years ago.**

The former prince quickly pocketed his note before anyone saw it, but despite his shock at the secret Monokuma had discovered he was careful to avoid drawing attention to himself. Lelouch's mind was scrambling how could've Monokuma learn such a fact, but soon Lelouch overheard exclamation and suppressed gasps from the others which were enough to tell him that some of the others had secrets that Monokuma had learned about to their horror.

Monokumua laughed, "Puhuhu, impressive, isn't it, but know that is just a taste. If I don't have a killer and a body in twenty-four hours from now, I'll share all of your secrets with the outside world!"

"I-I can't…you can't do this!" Kewell snapped as his forehead was showing signs of sweat.

"You can't be serious!" Haiji shouted as he looked more outraged than worried compared to Kewell.

"Well, if that is the way ya feel, I got a couple of vans rigged with some very impressive loudspeakers on them along with millions of those envelopes to toss. So you have twenty-three hours and fifty-nine minutes remaining so toodles!"

With a wave, Monokuma vanished behind the podium.

Feeling the tension in the room from Monokuma's threat Lelouch decided to lock himself in his room. A part of him had expected something like this to happen, but Lelouch had never planned that two-tone psycho to have gotten his hands on such information. Then again if he could capture a Knight of the Round and a high ranking member of the JLF, something the Britannian Military couldn't do, then maybe it wasn't impossible. Lelouch was wondering who Monokuma paid off or who knew about his secret Monokuma obtained it from, but he didn't know anyone off hand who could've sold him out.

After grabbing a drink and a bite to eat Lelouch returned to his room and he spent over an hour pushing the dresser behind the door after ensuring it was locked.

Despite the threat of his secret getting exposed Lelouch knew that someone amongst the other players must've had a secret worth killing for to keep quiet, so Lelouch decided to wait it out inside of his room after locking himself in.

 _No reason to be idle._

With little else to do Lelouch brought out his toolkit before opening his bathroom door and locked it before proceeding to practice on how to dismantle the doorknob and undo the lock using his bathroom door.

* * *

Watching through the surveillance camera footage Junko was a little disappointed by a lack of initiative from Lelouch even though it was apparent he had some plan in mind watching him practice on his door to get a better grasp of lock picking, but maybe it was too soon to expect something from him. Regardless, she was determined to see it all play out. With her, this time in the control room was Mukuro who silently observed Lelouch alongside her. She did a good job hiding it from her sister, but it was apparent Mukuro was genuinely concerned for Lelouch's well-being.

Mukuro knew Lelouch was a survivor and a highly intelligent one, but his lack of physical strength and fighting ability was very concerning and raised questions about his survivability in her sister's killing game.

"Lelouch won't do anything rash," Mukuro said, thinking out loud, "given his lack of endurance and strength he'll have to kill his target either in their sleep or a defenseless position."

Typically Junko would have verbally abused and berated her sister after such a comment, but she couldn't help but agree with her on that point.

"True, I mean I don't see anyone attempting to kill Bradley head on, which would be suicidal for anyone. However, that said I am shocked the so-called Vampire of Britannia hasn't killed anyone yet."

"At least he is taking time to learn how to pick a lock, so I hope he is working on a plan," Mukuro said as chances weren't looking good for Lelouch.

Of course, she had similar thoughts whenever she had challenged the young man to chess and other games since their reunion. As such Junko didn't count Lelouch out yet as no matter the odds, she always lost to him. Perhaps this would hold true, and Lelouch was already making a plan, but he was likely aware of the fact that he had more limitations to work around.

"By the way was it ok to use Lelouch's secret like this?"

"Are you worried Lelouch could figure out it is us behind this?" Junko answered suspecting correctly what her older sister was thinking. "Don't worry, I already accounted for that, and I paid off the matriarch of the Ashford Family for the information so if Lelouch survives I can place the blame of letting his secret out to her."

"Elena Ashford?" Mukuro inquired prompting Junko to nod her head.

Mukuro was familiar with the mother of Milly Ashford, even though she never met her and what she knew came from Junko and Milly, and also the most driven members of the family who wanted their status and title of nobility restored to them. She would've quickly exploited Lelouch and Nunnally if they had any meaningful value, but fortunately for them, it wouldn't work unless both of them get reinstated into the royal family. Thus, they opted for marrying their daughter off to the first available noble, but fortunately for Milly, the family's lack of meaningful business ventures and modest wealth didn't draw much as far appealing candidates were concerned.

Those who were interested in her inevitably gave up when Milly proved too eccentric for their tastes. It didn't help matters with Milly purposely and subtly sabotaging all dates and marriage interviews. Junko had commented that Milly could easily author a book about the breakup tactics and to escape an unwanted marriage.

However, that only pushed her mother into seeking more questionable means to regain their lost status and titles. Although Elena wasn't aware of the fact she was dealing with Monokuma and Ultimate Despair when Junko bought the information from her as part of a particular arrangement between them with the truth about Lelouch sold as part of the deal. Junko made sure every aspect of the meeting had been recorded as potential blackmail material or motivation for murder.

As a faint smile began spreading across her face at the possibilities, Mukuro interrupted her thoughts.

"I think he is certain that a murder will surely happen now."

Junko shot her sister an icy stare for ruining her moment of despairing at the possibilities open to her depending on how this killing game plays out, "of course you dumb bitch. I think I got a good idea who it's going to be."

 _And Elena will know she is in too deep to back out now. Of_ _course,_ _I didn't mention that we would be using Lelouch in this game._

* * *

Inside his office within the safety of the Viceroy's Palace at the heart of the Toyko Settlement, the Viceroy of Area 11 was on the verge of a complete and total breakdown. For the past two days despite the efforts of using the military and intelligence officials no one had found any trace of the missing Chinese Federation Ambassador and the Knight of the Round, whom until Monokuma's announcement was unaware of his presence in Area 11. Clovis had exhausted all of his resources, and he had everyone he could command working around the clock to track down the victims before one of them ended up dead. To make matters worse, Clovis feared what would happen to him if he didn't resolve this issue quickly. Clovis already knew the Chinese Federation was furious with him and they were already speaking to the Emperor and the Prime Minister of the Empire, his older brother Schneizel el Britannia, to demand that Gao Hài is to be found before he could get murdered.

Clovis had both hands on his head, gripping his medium-length blonde hair as his blue eyes appeared to be twitching as he was on the verge of experiencing a full mental breakdown.

 _The homeland won't be quiet now. Not only did that ambassador go missing, but a Knight of the Round._

The Viceroy was trying to grasp why the Emperor sent a Knight of the Round to Area 11 without him notified of his arrival, and there was only one reason.

 _Could father know about Code-R?_

Some close to the Viceroy knew of his incompetence, and the rampant corruption throughout the ruling government would've been obvious concerns, but to send a Knight of the Round was very unusual. It didn't help matters with Area 11 terrorized by a cult of self-destructive anarchist led by a demonic teddy bear, which has managed to do more damage and spread chaos in its wake more than the other resistance groups.

Clovis nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the phone ring. The blood drained from Clovis's face when he realized it wasn't his office phone going off, but the hotline phone which only one person would use.

The Viceroy would've been content to ignore the call, but he knew doing so would be the worst thing he could do at this point. So with great reluctance, Clovis picked up the phone bringing the receiver to his ear.

"Your incompetence can no longer be ignored Clovis."

Clovis swallowed hard knowing too well who was calling, "F-father…please…I can…"

"SILENCE!" Charles zi Britannia roared on the other line, "You have proven to be a complete failure as Viceroy Clovis."

"Please father, I beg you."

"DO NOT BEG!" Charles snapped once again because it was clear he had made up his mind, "I want you to clean up this mess before the situation gets worse Clovis and let me be clear, if the situation does worsen before your replacement arrives you will be brought back to me to answer for your incompetence."

Clovis didn't miss the word _replacement_ before hesitantly asking, "My replacement?"

"One of your sisters will be sent to relieve your position, and then you will return to the Homeland. There are some _private_ matters besides your utter failure to govern Area 11 we must discuss."

Without waiting to hear Clovis's response, the Emperor hung up leaving Clovis in a cold sweat as he felt his entire world was crashing down around him.

* * *

Early the next morning Lelouch was beginning to open his eyes as another day was about to start, but this time he wasn't alone in his room when he awoke to see Monokuma standing by his bedside.

"Good morning!"

"Uwaaaaha!"

Upon realizing the two-tone bear was in his room Lelouch's mind snapped wide awake as his body quickly responded to the presence of a dangerous threat. However, this only amused the mechanical bear who merely laughed at Lelouch.

"Upupu, nice reaction…I am glad you didn't disappoint."

Lelouch instinctively grabbed a pillow, although the logical part of his mind knew that it would make for an inferior weapon and attacking Monokuma would get him killed anyway, fearing a possible attack especially if Monokuma was able to get inside.

"WH-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

Monokuma titled his head to one side, "Oh, I just wanted to spice things up a little, so instead of a morning announcement I thought I would come in person to wake you up."

"What the hell for?"

"Because it's fun," The bear replied with a chuckle. "And since I am here I might as well let you hear it from the bear's mouth."

"What happened?" Lelouch said suspecting that Monokuma had a more likely reason for visiting him this early in the morning instead of merely being on a whim.

"Oh, someone is catching on quick huh." The two-tone bear said proudly, "Well, let's just say things are going to be different starting today, so I decided to act accordingly and do something different myself. Maybe I should have brought some candy and left you like a piece of chocolate or something on your pillow."

"I'll ask again…WHAT…happened?!"

"That's for me to know and you to find out," Monokuma replied in a playful tone, "because if I spoiled everything for you, then things would get boring very quickly."

As Monokuma turned to leave Lelouch called out to the bear as there were a few questions he wanted to be answered.

"Wait," Monokuma stopped at Lelouch's request, "how did you find out about my secret?"

"Well your majesty, I suppose I could say for now getting the information wasn't cheap…but…" The two-tone bear seemed indecisive before finally, "Nah I won't tell you, but if you win the game, then I'll tell you who sold you out."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed as that remark did leave the former prince with only one person who might've done it.

"However, since I like your growing enthusiasm I'll let you in on something I haven't told the others yet."

"I am listening..."

"Whoever wins the game doesn't just get to leave this place alive, but they'll walk away from this game both alive and filthy rich with a cash prize of ten billion Britannian banknotes."

Lelouch was understandably surprised by this revelation.

"Upupupu," Monokuma started laughing with both of its paws held close to its mouth. "Did you seriously think I was just going to make you guys kill each other and you just go free?!"

"Well, there was the possibility you could just kill whoever wins to keep your secrets safe. Even you can't deny that as some have already accepted as a possibility." The former prince said with his arms crossed over his chest.

Monokuma nodded his head, "You are not wrong there. But you can be sure if you win that you will go free, although we'll knock you out so we can drop you off somewhere else."

"And you didn't mention the money because it might've not been enough of an incentive to drive someone murder if you considering the likes of the Knight of Ten lurking about."

"That and it would've been kinda predictable," Monokuma said slyly. "Seriously though, I am surprised no one thought about the idea I would give a cash prize since all of those game shows like Survivor and Wipeout do it."

Lelouch decided against arguing against that logic, but at the moment the former prince realized that Monokuma goal is allowing the survivor to leave to provide an easy to attack the source of outrage. If one were to consider what would happen if Gao Hài somehow won the Killing Game and his action resulted in the demise of both a high-ranking leader of the Japan Liberation Front, from whom his country sells weapons to and a member of the Knight of the Round.

The outcry from a High Eunuch having condemned or even murdered a Britannian would stir some strong anti-Chinese Federation, which would worsen with the demise of a Knight of the Round that could be a direct cause of Gao Hài's survival. Officially there was a non-aggression treaty between the two nations, but depending on the situation it could turn into a war. Lelouch doubted the Chinese Federation would risk a war with Britannia since they would be at risk of losing much, especially with Area 11 as a perfect staging area for an invasion.

Of course, the situation could be the same if Gao Hài ended up dead instead. Even if the prospect of war wasn't on the horizon, it might push the Chinese Federation to mend fences with the Europia United in preparation for a possible alliance between the two countries against Britannia.

Those were merely two out of one hundred other possibilities that could happen based on the outcome of the Killing Game especially if the winner's identity became public knowledge.

 _Either_ _way,_ _I can't image Clovis will be Viceroy for much longer at this rate._

"So I suggest you meet with everyone in the cafeteria. The game is afoot!" Monokuma said before dropping a smoke pellet blanketing the room in a cloud of smoke.

Lelouch was left coughing while using one hand to wave away the smoke, but by the time it was cleared Monokuma had vanished.

Heeding Monokuma's advice Lelouch moved his dresser away from his door before heading to the cafeteria where he saw everyone beginning to gather. Kewell approached Lelouch with a curious expression on his face.

"Did Monokuma visit you as well?"

"Yes, he did, which I assume he has visited the rest of you too," Lelouch answered prompting a nod of confirmation from Kewell.

A moment later Haiji Towa showed up, but after ten minutes no one else showed up. They were one person short, and the missing person was Alicia Lohmeyer.

"I propose we should investigate because I think it's clear that Miss Lohmeyer may no longer be among the living." The Knight of Ten said ominously, although it was seemingly obvious that she was dead, logically everyone needed to confirm it.

There were some mutterings that Lelouch couldn't hear, but no one opposed it as everyone filed out of the room and made their way to where Lohmeyer's room was deciding it was best to start from there. Upon inspection of the door, they found it to be unlocked, so Bradley entered, followed by Kewell while the rest stayed outside, but inside near the door leading into the bathroom, they found Alicia Lohmeyer with her throat slashed open.

"OH," Monokuma's voice rang throughout the halls, "Big surprise a body has just been found! Okay, people, it's time for the investigation to begin!"

 _We need to figure out the culprit, or we all die._ Lelouch thought as he mentally prepared himself and he quickly received an alert on his device that the Monokuma file regarding the time when the murder happened and the injuries she had sustained.

Inside the control room, Junko was grinning.

 _Ok,_ _Lelouch show me what you got!_

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater (01):**

Monokuma marches out onto a stage with a giant black flag with his visage printed upon it; however, the two-tone bear was wearing a black M1 helmet with a row of stars across the front. Monokuma stopped at the center of the stage with both hands behind his back ready to do his take on Patton as he addressed a gathering of other mass produced Monokuma units.

"My fellow Monokumas lend me your ears," Monokuma commanded before muttering under his breath, "Not that you have a choice since you are programmed that way."

The red eye of the mass-produced Monokuma units flashed red.

"My friends, we got a slow start so far, and I think this chapter was lacking in something to get the blood pumping." Monokuma took a moment to think before snapping his fingers together in realization. "Ah, I know we need some explosions because this chapter was kinda slow. I mean a slow start is sometimes necessary, but well we need some good old violence and explosions to hold some of us over."

Monokuma's crowd was unsurprisingly silent.

"So I want all of you to put your backs into it and get out there! Even though many of you will die," Monokuma commented before adding under his breath, "which I can care less since I can mass produce a lot more of you."

The bear on stage performed a salute before commanding.

"Now get out and blow yourselves up because we need some fireworks to commemorate the first murder of the story soon to be followed by the first trial!"

Monokuma began laughing as the army of his mass-produced copies hurried out of the large chamber he was holding his meeting in before the sound of explosions could be heard outside.

"Nothing like good pyrotechnics, but don't worry folks we'll have a lot more in the story later so think of those explosions as appetizers."

* * *

A/N: Well that was my first attempt at a Monokuma Theater segment, and if feedback and inspiration are just right I might attempt some future ones with each chapter. It felt like it had to have one as a call back to the game and manga of the series that usually had a Monokuma Theater segment.

Anyway, this chapter was a little challenging to write, which was why it ended up being a little shorter compared to the last chapter. But things should be kicking off now. However, my next challenge is to create a good mystery while at the same time avoiding anything that might be predictable and/or too easy to figure out, so I hope what I got planned works out.

Also on my profile, I have an extensive poll set up. Since this is my first time working with Danganronpa characters, I do want to gauge which ones by the majority would people not mind if I decided to kill them in the story. Now bear in mind I will hold final decision on who lives and who dies, and there WILL be some character deaths in this story (but also keep in mind that I don't off a character unless it benefits the story as a whole). I avoid using any dislike I hold for a character to sway me UNLESS it's a character everyone would universally agree they deserve to die (and we all know which ones).

And NO this means I won't off Suzaku, even though I know some of my readers were hoping I would. (But I do look forward to Suzaku meeting Makoto and Nagito since Suzaku is a fortunate person himself so some opportunities there for some humor if you guys get my meaning. A fun fact: Suzaku seems to be so lucky that he wins at blackjack so much that Milly accused him of cheating in the novels mentioned by Nunnally to C.C.)

You'll notice certain characters are not on the list (for story reasons), but I included all of the major and minor ones including the ones who died in the series (since they'll have a chance to survive in this story if they play their cards right). Overall this is more of a curiosity poll.

Any feedback I get on the investigations and how the first killing game plays out will help me plan the future ones later in the story.

I thank you all in advance for the reviews (they are greatly appreciated), and I'll try to get some of my other stories updated before I do the next chapter for this one.


	4. Chapter 4 Death of a Scheming Politician

A/N: Well, thanks to the great feedback last chapter I went ahead and completed the next chapter of this story, and I did change the poll on my profile from who should die to who should survive instead with some details in the author note at the end of the chapter.

Without further delay, let's begin…

2/11/18: edited and cleaned up.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their mind"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

 **Death of a Scheming Politician**

Lelouch conducted an inspection of Alicia's living quarters after walking inside. The room had been clearly ransacked by what clearly indicated a violent struggle that had broken out. However, since you can't enter a player's personal quarters by picking the lock due to their electronic reinforcement the only way in would've been the victim letting her killer in. As he tried to imagine the chain of events that happened, including when the victim opened the door, but with all of the slash marks on the wall, it was oblivious a violent confrontation that took place.

 _There are too many slashes to have been caused by one person with some blood spatter_ , Lelouch before a thought came to mind. _There is little reason to believe the killer designed the scene to look like a fight broke out unless the victim was armed._

Deciding to search the room for clues Lelouch checked the oblivious places and then narrow it down. He knelt down by the bed deciding to check underneath it for anything if possible importance like a dropped object or another knife which Lelouch was hoping for, which would confirm the marks on the wall was the result of a conflict involving blades between the victim and the killer.

The Monokuma File on Alicia Lohmeyer lent more credence to that possibility.

" _The victim's name is Alicia Lohmeyer,_ _and_ _her body was found inside of her room with the time of death is estimated at 1:25 am. The cause of death was multiple stab wounds to the chest and stomach with her throat slit. There were also cuts on the fingers of the right hand with a cut along the left arm."_ Lelouch thought, recalling the details of the file, so if his theory about a fight taking place here is correct, then there should be another weapon since the murder weapon was embedded in Alicia's body in her stomach.

 _Whoever killed her must've hated her_ _a great deal_ _to have viciously attacked her,_ Lelouch thought, but he did consider the possibility it could've been staged that way. The confrontation aside Lelouch recalled the confrontation between Mrs. Stadtfeld and her that happened not too long ago.

As Lelouch checked under the bed, he found something he didn't expect.

 _What is a flat-cart doing under this bed?_

Grabbing one end of the long rectangle-shaped cart, while finding the handles that could be attached to -the flat-cart to move it, which was long enough to place an adult-sized body on it. Lelouch brought out the cart, enough of it to scrutinize it, but it added more to the mystery, but it did lead to a possibility of how the killer got into Alicia's room.

"Why is there a cart under her bed?" Gao Hài inquired noticing the cart Lelouch found.

"Good question and I am beginning to piece together what had likely happened. The killer had to get into her room somehow." Lelouch commented as this prompted Kusakabe who, despite not caring that a Britannian had died, but was merely investigating to ensure he didn't get executed in the upcoming trial decided to check the closet.

"I think I see where the boy is going with his theory because I think it's very unusual for a politician to keep a mop, a nearly empty gallon of bleach and two empty buckets."

Despite not trusting one another and being clear enemies the two men were temporary putting aside their animosity for a short time as they all knew full well they could die if they did not identify the killer. It surprised Lelouch, but he was glad they weren't at each other's throats. Kewell and Bradley were even more significant concerns, especially since Kewell was part of the Purist Faction who looked down on non-Britannians with greater disdain than others.

Lelouch could only hope that uneasy unspoken cease-fire agreement would hold.

"Our rooms didn't have any cleaning supplies in the closet," Kewell said prompting Bradley to smile.

"Isn't it obvious? The woman was planning on killing whoever she invited to her room. She was going to use those supplies to clean up the crime scene and then use that cart to move the body elsewhere. It was a perilous plan which could've easily backfired through."

"It's rather obvious that is what exactly happened here." The Chinese man said as it was clear now that Alicia Lohmeyer was planning on killing her guest, but it was apparent that whoever she had invited had turned the tables.

Lelouch got back up to his feet, "The cuts on her hand suggest that her killer had likely come with a knife on their own and fought back, although I haven't found a second knife the evidence so far seems to confirm to be what likely happened."

"The question is who did she invite?" Bradley offered as he seemed amused by the events that had clearly unfolded here.

"Well, given she was planning to kill we can rule out those with military training. More than likely her target was someone she could lure to her room and easily kill." Lelouch suggested deciding to search the desk but noticed a notepad on the desk. One of the pages had been ripped from its prompting an idea to come to mind. Grabbing a pencil from one of the drawers Lelouch began rubbing the tip across the page and saw the imprint of the last note written beginning to appear. "And this clue confirms that she lured someone here."

"Ah, you rubbed the pencil to reveal the indented writing of the previous page." Gao Hài said impressed by Lelouch's ingenuity.

 **There is something we must talk about,** **and** **something must be done before our secrets get revealed, so come to my room tonight after one. Your wife should be asleep by then.**

"So our killer was a male and is married," Kewell said as this narrowed down the possible suspects to one person since there was only one person counted among them whose wife was also included in this game.

"It sounds like Arata Utsugi could be our murder," Bradley commented with a cruel smile.

"It can't be that easy," Lelouch thought as this was coming together too easily. "Given the argument, they had a short time ago I almost suspected Mrs. Stadtfeld as our killer, although that would've been too obvious as well."

"True and given the fact that our lives are on the line I don't blame you for wanting to be certain beyond doubt to determine who the killer is." Gao Hài said sharing Lelouch's concerns and doubts.

"If Arata Utsugi is our culprit, we should confirm this fact while we still have time," Kewell advised.

"I concur," Lelouch said as he had an uneasy feeling about all this as it seemed too straightforward.

Leaving the room, Lelouch, Bradley, Gao Hài, Kusakabe and Kewell began searching for Arata Utsugi intending to determine if he was the killer. The rest had apparently gone off on their own or were pursuing their own investigation course, but Lelouch felt a little uneasy not only about the case but about Bradley whom he was fully aware of the man's reputation. Rumors and information Lelouch found described him as a violent and confrontational man, but so far he had been surprisingly cooperative which Lelouch assumed was likely due to a form of self-control knowing that one slip up could cost him his own life.

 _I can only guess that he must be plotting to kill_ _someone_ _but is waiting for a better opportunity before he makes an attempt. As skilled as he is with knives he would have to realize that using a knife as a murder weapon could run the risk of the killing being pinned on him._ Lelouch thought, knowing that Bradley, according to a magazine article that revealed some information about the Knights of the Round he had read, was a champion knife thrower and highly skilled with the use of knives in combat becoming his weapon of choice when outside of a Knightmare Frame. _If he commits_ _murder,_ _it wouldn't be with a knife._

Further, while grateful for the lack of hostility between the two, but surprised by it, Lelouch was also feeling very wary of Kusakabe and Kewell. Although he wasn't familiar with Kewell other than knowing he was a member of the Purist Faction the JLF member he had learned about from some newspaper articles and magazines that held a story about a terrorist incident involving the JLF.

Josui Kusakabe was one of the group's more extreme members as he was the type more than willing to take civilians hostage and execute them without a second thought. Lelouch had heard about an incident in Osaka where he was responsible for the deaths of over two dozen civilians with a bombing at a mall that was holding a special event for members of the military.

 _So why aren't they at one another's throats more? Is there something I missed?_ Lelouch thought because he found their cooperation rather strange given Kusakabe's reputation.

Lelouch made a mental note to keep an eye on those two.

A short time later the group arrived at the shared room for the married couple with Kusakabe knocking on the door. It took a few moments, but after a second knock, the door opened, and a woman in her late thirties opened the door. She had damp waist-length pink hair suggesting she had been in the shower, which Lelouch made a mental note of.

 _An odd time for a shower, especially since someone got murdered, although I know some like the relaxing feel of hot water and steam…_

She must haven't finished before they arrived as she was dressed back in her regular clothes that consisted of a long-sleeve dress shirt, a black skirt with matching high-heels wearing black stockings. Yuuma Utsugi must have just finished getting dressed and hadn't had a chance to dry her hair yet before knocking on her door.

"Can I help you?"

"We're looking for your husband. Is he here?" Kusakabe asked.

"I haven't seen him since we discovered that woman's body. He followed me back to my room and then he left when I decided to take a shower." Yuuma answered, but as they spoke Lelouch silently observed the exchange while studying Yuuma as he couldn't help but notice something was off. For now, Lelouch kept his suspicions to himself for the time being.

After that Yuuma closed the door and an announcement was declared by Monokuma.

"Attention all players another body has been found. I repeat another body has been found in the Garbage Room. Oh boy, we got ourselves a good pace going, so I'll give you guys some extra time before the trial to investigate the new body."

No one said a word as Lelouch and the others hurried to the body to find Haiji Towa, the Black King and Hojo Shingetsu who was dressed in a white suit with oval-shaped glasses, long black hair tied into a ponytail with blue eyes. It wasn't long before Yuuma joined the gathering before covering her mouth in shock at the sight of her husband's corpse. Arata Utsugi was wearing a white button-up shirt with short-sleeves and black dress pants. He had slick back black hair and a fair skin complexion. He laid face down in a pool of his own blood, but the worrying part of this discovery was that it happened not too long ago since he was seen this morning in the cafeteria and with everyone else when the body was found.

"Did anyone hear him scream?" Kewell demanded calmly looking to the three who had found the body, which had triggered the announcement.

"No, we didn't hear anything, but I suppose someone could've run the garbage compactor to create some noise to drown it out." The Black King replied with a shrug of indifference.

 _Why not dispose of the body?_ Lelouch thought while inspecting the dead body on the floor as he was looking for any indication of a struggle. One reason the killer didn't want to risk attempting to dispose of the body was likely because the risk of discovery was too high, but another reason could be that the killer didn't have the strength to lift a full-grown adult into the disposal chute. Possibly a combination of both, but Lelouch didn't notice any signs to suggest a struggle had taken place. Furthermore, he discovered a knife by the corpse and seeing how the blade was chipped it was entirely possible this was the second knife he had tried to find in Alicia's room.

The only way to know for sure was to check the inventory of the knives they have in the kitchen since the notebook they possessed, provided a full list of all of the tools and items kept in the kitchen which Lelouch believed Monokuma included for investigative purposes.

 _Nothing seems to have been disturbed,_ Lelouch thought, glancing around the room, seeing that the cabinets and racks for brooms and mops were undisturbed for the most part. Then inspecting the body one more time, Lelouch noticed something before getting up to check the Monokuma File on the newly deceased.

" _The victim's name is Arata Utsugi,_ _and_ _his body was found in the garbage room. Time of death was around 12:25 pm with the cause of death being the victim's throat being slit open. No other injuries to report."_

 _Now that is unusual,_ the former prince thought as the lack of any other injuries hinted that Arata died without a fight, which meant whoever killed him was someone he was close enough to be around. _Still, even as he was attacked, he should've been able to cry out for help._

Lelouch could only deduce that during the attack that the killer must've had somehow silenced Arata before killing him, which only supported the idea it was someone close to him.

 _A piece of cloth must've been used to prevent him from crying out, but if that is the case, then the murder should've been covered in blood._

However, another possibility came to mind, but Lelouch put that thought aside for now.

The former prince glanced at the garbage disposal suspecting that whatever clothing the killer was wearing must've been disposed of since leaving the garbage room with blood on them was too risky, but the more he considered the facts, the more he was sure of who had committed the murders. He proceeded to search around the bin since it was likely the killer didn't want to linger to run the risk of being caught with the body. But when he examined around the base of the incinerator, suspecting if the murder had evidence to dispose of like clothing it would've made more sense to dump it there, that was on the opposite side of the room Lelouch discovered something, a scalpel.

 _This seems strangely out of place._

Upon discovery of the medical knife, Lelouch pocketed the blade for now and made his way to the infirmary to do some investigating there. No one was inside, but Lelouch began searching for anything that might have been taken while checking the inventory the room had to see if anything was missing. It took Lelouch ten minutes to complete his search and investigation, and he noticed two things, one the supply cabinet was missing a scalpel and second a stitching kit for treating deep cuts was missing.

 _So the killer was injured in the struggle with the victim late last night,_ _so_ _the killer came here to treat himself since the infirmary isn't locked down at night._ Lelouch thought, concluding the next step of what happened next, but realizing the killer had suffered an injury that needed stitches a thought came to mind.

 _I_ _see_ _so_ _that explains it, but that means whoever the killer is must have some medical knowledge._

Realizing that Lelouch needed more information he needed to know what Alicia Lohmeyer did for the Britannian Government and he knew who to ask.

 _First, there is someone else I need to ask a question._

Looking for a security camera, Lelouch spoke.

"Monokuma you and I need to have a word because I have a question regarding nighttime conditions."

"Ye who asks shall receive," Monokuma said appearing out of nowhere behind Lelouch. "So what do you want to know?"

"During the nighttime hours are the lights in the hallways turned off?" Lelouch inquired.

"Some of them because the electric bill for this place can get expensive, but the emergency lights are turned on. They don't provide a whole lot of light, but enough to avoid walking into a wall or something and the nameplates on the doors have an LED lamp above them."

 _The dark conditions of the hallway do create opportunities for an ambush._

"I see, so even in the dark you can tell whose room is what without checking the digital handbook," Lelouch asked before another thought came to mind.

"So was that it? You dragged me from my office for that?"

"It was an important clue for my investigation, and you know I don't dare wander the halls at night."

"Just because you are so weak I wouldn't worry too much about someone killing you." Monokuma pointed out. "Because even if someone killed you, the real problem would be how they could pin it on someone else so they can get away with it."

 _That is true,_ Lelouch didn't deny the logic behind that reasoning, although he could be killed since he was an easy target, thankfully Lelouch didn't go around announcing about his lack of endurance and physical strength so he might be safe as long as no one noticed that point.

Of course, as long as he didn't provide a potential killer the means of pinning the responsibility for his demise onto someone else since that would be the key to winning the killing game.

 _The best way to win is to pin it on someone else, but you have to craft a convincing story with evidence that no one could deny to convince the others to convict the wrong person._

"Is that why you called me out here?!"

"Yes and your answer was a big help."

Minutes after he finished questioning the host of the game Lelouch made his way into the kitchen where he found Mrs. Stadtfeld shakily drinking some tea. It was clear she was frightened about something, but he was sure of one thing. He didn't think she was responsible for Alicia's death as their argument before her demise put her at risk of being considered a suspect.

"Mrs. Stadtfeld," Lelouch said as politely as he could, "I want to ask you about Miss Lohmeyer. I assume you two were aquatinted."

"I AM NOT THE KILLER IF THAT IS…"

"I know that!" Lelouch shot back silencing her. "However, I do have my suspicions to who killed her, but I need to know what she did so I can establish a possible link. A note she wrote asking for Arata to meet her, so I need to know what their relationship was."

"WHAT?!" Mrs. Stadtfeld said, sounding genuinely shocked which Lelouch noted, "But if you think she was involved in a relationship with some Eleven then you are dead wrong."

"I am not convinced of that," Lelouch replied calmly, "but I feel the possible answer to why they were killed lies in the exact nature of their relationship since obviously both of them had secrets worth killing for."

The older woman hesitated, but ultimately she relented.

* * *

Meanwhile, watching everything unfold from the control room Junko was eager to begin the trial, but since another murder had occurred, she had to give them some extra time to investigate the new corpse. It was a little annoying for another death to happen before the first trial, but Junko was pleased with the pacing the game was now moving at. She had expected one murder, but two were both unexpected and very pleasing to the young woman.

Junko wasn't alone in her observation of the game's progression.

Standing behind her observing the game with reluctance was a tall young man who was the same age as Junko. He was Japanese with a slender and slightly lean figure with long black messy hair, pale blue eyes and a pale skin complexion. His face before what was recognized as his signature apathetic gaze and his expression were more emphasized with his distinct, heavy-looking eyebrows that are usually furrowed. His choice of clothing consists of a dirty white dress shirt that was half-tucked in with a sloppily worn black tie adorned with red decals. The rest consists of black trousers, a belt, and bathroom slippers.

"Is he the one you have taken such an interest in?" Yasuke Matsuda inquired.

"Yep, that is Lelouch Lamperouge, but better known as Lelouch vi Britannia the presumed dead son of the famous Marianne the Flash," Junko explained which caused a shocked Yasuke to nearly begin choking on some crackers he had been eating.

"A…" Yasuke said, but he had to clear his throat first before, "a Britannian Prince?"

"Yep… I met him during that time Mukuro, and I had to survive the war between Japan and Britannia seven years ago."

"And he is the _reason_ you chose to enroll at Ashford Academy?"

"Yes, but we both know why I had to leave Hope's Peak Academy."

Yasuke sighed in annoyance as he perfectly knew the reason and he had hoped Junko obtain information on some highly classified projects Hope's Peak Academy was working on. Ever since their relationship with the Emperor through the Future Foundation and the growth of the school's faculties it gained more funding and independence from the local government and authorities of Area 11. This allowed Hope's Peak Academy to conduct some morally questionable experiments with the Reserve Course Students being solely allowed to attend school in a separate building to obtain extra funding for their works.

Information regarding the Neo World Program, which Yasuke was part of its development, and two secret projects he tried to help Junko get information on. The other two projects that proved the most elusive to obtain information on are called the Izuru Kamukura Project and a secretively joint project with the Viceroy dubbed Code-R.

His involvement and level of trust the higher-ups at Hope's Peak Academy and the Future Foundation was thanks to his title and skill of being the Ultimate Neurologist. His expertise and knowledge in neurology were second to none in the world as he could affect the human brain in so many various ways that he could extract information, alter memories or even input data in one form or another. To achieve his title, Yasuke was naturally highly knowledgeable in many fields of medical specialties that complimented his talent or was necessary for it.

None of them knew of course that he was a spy for Junko and indirectly a member of Ultimate Despair, but this was because they were childhood friends going as far as kindergarten.

"This is going to be interesting, although the odds I have figured for him say he has a 98.4% chance of being killed. On the other hand, Lelouch has proven me wrong in the past before and has always managed to beat me no matter the game I challenged him to."

Yasuke was surprised by this since he knew about Junko's true talent being the Ultimate Analyst, "he beat you. You're supposed to have superhuman intelligence and the ability to predict and foresee various outcomes easily."

"Well, I guess Lelouch is more intelligent than I am, but I suppose he has a very keen mind for strategy so I guess the talent scouts of Hope's Peak must be slipping!" Junko said with a hint of admiration towards Lelouch before mocking Hope's Peak academy with her tone change before laughing at how the school that sought to gather the most talented of people to attend could miss someone like Lelouch.

"Is that why you have included him in this," Yasuke said reluctantly to call pushing people to murder each other game. Although Junko was aware of his reluctance and his dislike of the game she had created she ignored his concerns.

"Yep…it's a chance for him to prove if he is still worth my interest."

"I see…"

Yasuke seemed _hurt_ by the interest Junko was showing Lelouch, but as far as Junko was concerned, it was Yasuke's fault for failing to be attractive to her. They were close as children, and their closeness grew after Yasuke's mother died while he was still a child, but after the war that saw Japan become Area 11 they had slowly begun drifting apart. Had it not been for Junko's meeting with Lelouch, she and Yasuke might've become lovers, but her curiosity and interest in Lelouch unknowingly prevented such feelings from developing. This was also because Junko was manipulating him despite their bound as one of Junko's oldest friends as it gave her the means to make him more dependent on her especially after his mother died. She did consider pursuing a more intimate relationship with Yasuke if only to possibly betray him by beginning a close relationship with Lelouch to drive him to despair.

Perhaps fortunately for Yasuke, his friend decided against that for reasons known only to Junko, but little did Yasuke realize Junko was setting the stage for another _game_. This wouldn't be a Killing Game but a competition to see which man was worth becoming Junko's lover and the two men who compete for her would be Lelouch and Yasuke.

 _I'll set the stage,_ _and_ _I'll everything else take care of itself…provided you survive my little game,_ _Lelouch_ _._

* * *

Shortly after Lelouch finished questioning Mrs. Stadtfeld, he was about to search for Arata's wife to ask her until an announcement was sent out as a familiar bell tone echoed through the halls.

"Attention all players," Monokuma called out, "How do I put this… I am kinda tired of waiting so why don't we get started? The time has come for the long-awaited trial!" The bear announced happily before adding, "Please allow me to direct you to the proper location for proceedings and remember participation is mandatory. Just head for the red doors on the 1st floor, an icon for it has appeared on her map… I'll see you all soon."

Lelouch was annoyed he didn't have time to question the widow of the victim, but with the information, he got from Mrs. Stadtfeld he had a good idea what happened and who killed who.

It didn't take long for everyone to gather in the hallway leading to the courtroom where the debate to decide their fates would be held. Some were understandably reluctant as some were slow to arrive all things considered, but everyone knew that now attending would likely mean a death sentence. Once everyone reached the red double doors, they opened automatically to reveal a large elevator that had enough room for everyone to board. Lelouch was among the last to get on the elevator before it automatically began descending to where the courtroom was likely at.

Everyone was strangely quiet but left the air thick with tension.

Two minutes later and the elevator came to a stop before opening to reveal a circular chamber where fourteen podiums were arranged in a circle in the center of the room while opposite of the elevator was an elevated throne identical to the one Monokuma had used during his broadcasted executions. On the walls surrounding them were large monitors displaying Monokuma's visage. Another oddity was a picture of the deceased Souta Daimon attached to the top of a signpost where he would've stood during the trial had he been still alive. There were similar portraits of Arata and Alicia at the podiums where they would've been standing if they weren't dead. The room had red wallpaper, and old-fashion light fixtures on the walls with gold trimmed archways with red curtains hung up covering what was possibly other passageways leading out.

"Nyohoho," Monokuma laughed as he suddenly appeared sitting on the front with one leg crossed over the other, "You're finally here! So what do you think, doesn't it feel like a feel courtroom you see on those Hollywood sets?"

"Not even close!" The Black King muttered in annoyance at the bear.

"Whatever," the insidious bear dismissed with a casual hand-gesture, "I would like everyone to find your assigned position so we can get this show started."

"I have a question before we get started?" Lelouch inquired before pointing to the portraits of those who were dead, "why the pictures?"

"I would feel terrible if they were left out just because they died, which I am sure Yuuma would appreciate that her husband could be with her in spirit, in the trial to find out who killed him," Monokuma answered while obviously faking sympathy. "Anyway, enough questions, let's begin the trial. Begin your opening argument."

"I would like to begin by first discussing the first murder victim Alicia Lohmeyer," Kewell Soresi began, "we know she was killed late last night after she summoned who we believe is Arata Utsugi based on evidence of a note that had been written before the murder."

"But then we found Arata dead in the garbage room," Kusakabe pointed out, "killed sometime after the woman's body was discovered."

"Yes, and the only other person it could've been is the now-widow of the victim!" Gao Hài added with a confident smirk. "The note was intended for her husband, and she must've seen it!"

Yuuma was horrified that she was being accused.

"Then you murdered your own husband in the garbage room worried he might blame you for the murder?"

"Hold on!" Lelouch said intervening, "I don't think Yuuma is the murder, although the evidence we found in the room seem to suggest this I believe we are too hasty in passing judgment. If she was the murder, then she did a very sloppy job planning, especially when the risk of her being caught was too high."

"So what are you suggesting Britannian?" Haiji Towa said with a glare.

"This murder is being too easily solved for my liking, especially when there were certain inconsistencies we haven't taken into account." Lelouch explained before beginning to further elaborate, "for instance the slash marks in the room and the splatter of blood near the door and close to the bed where the largest amount could be seen, but it didn't connect to the body."

"How do we know it's not from the victim herself?"

The question came from the last named female of their group, another Japanese woman with long blonde hair and a slim figure wearing black pants with a matching apron with a light blue shirt with blue eyes and a fair skin complexion. Her name was Minoru Kemuri and judging from the stains on her apron she was an artist of some kind or worked a profession related to it.

"A good question, but consider the injuries Alicia herself suffered beside the fatal wound that ended her life." Lelouch pointed out holding up his digital notebook, "she had cuts on her left hand specifically the fingers and a deep slash across her arm which we can tell from this that she and the killer must have gotten close enough to one enough. Judging by the fierceness of the struggle between, here is what I think happened."

Lelouch took a deep breath as he began going through the chain of events that ended Miss Lohmeyer.

"We knew last night that Miss Lohmeyer intended to summon Mrs. Utsugi's late husband to meet in her room. However, I suspect someone else had gotten wind of the meeting between them and showed up in Arata's place after tricking Miss Lohmeyer into delivering the note to the wrong room." Lelouch said surprising the gathered survivors.

"How is that possible?" Kusakabe began as he was just as shocked as everyone else.

"The nameplates on our doors are removable; although we could've quickly referenced our map on our digital notebook using an electronic device in a darkened hallway during curfew could've alerted someone to their presence." The young man had to stop to take a deep breath, "There are small lights placed throughout the hallways are left on during the night, but they are not bright enough to illuminate the hallways as they do during the day. Furthermore, I would like to mention there are LED lights over the nameplates of our rooms illuminating them at all times."

"You lock yourself in your room every night since this game began so how do you know this?" Mrs. Stadtfeld inquired.

"I asked Monokuma about it after I summoned him by speaking to a security camera to get his attention."

"That's right," Monokuma said, confirming the meeting did happen. "It was a weird question, but as the host, if a player has a question I have to answer as long as it's nothing that is classified."

"But why was that important?" Kewell asked while Bradley was strangely quiet.

"Because Alicia Lohmeyer was expecting a man to visit her, but the darkened hallways would've made identifying the visitor difficult, so if Yuuma then Miss Lohmeyer would've noticed a woman," Lelouch said with confidence before he included another fact for the others to consider. "In fact, judging by the slashes and signs of conflict near the door, I say she assumed the person she let in was Arata but quickly realized her fatal error leading to the struggle in the room that began after the door was closed."

"How did the wrong person even know to show up?" Gao Hài asked this time as he brought one hand to his chin as a sign of him contemplating the evidence Lelouch was presenting.

"Because our killer swapped the nameplates of their rooms to ensure she would deliver the invite to their room instead. I imagine after the deed was done the killer switched them back, but this meant that the killer knew of the meeting was likely to happen because the shared secret between Miss Lohmeyer and Mr. Utsugi was a danger to the killer as well because he was part of it."

"WHAT!" Kusakabe exclaimed as Haiji Towa was just as shocked as he was along with most of the room.

"I spoke with Mrs. Stadtfeld about it, and I pieced together something quite interesting," Lelouch explained before proceeding to discuss what he had learned. "Officially Miss Lohmeyer was the official who acted as a liaison between the Britannian Government Administration and the NAC."

Lelouch knew that the NAC was a confederation of the wealthiest and most powerful families amongst the former Japanese, tasked by the Area 11 colonial administration with the oversight and government of Elevens living outside the Britannian concessions.

"However, secretly she was a deputy director of intelligence for the Viceroy who was tasked with discovering the identity of terrorist collaborators."

"Collaborators?" Yuuma said, sounding genuinely surprised, although Lelouch wasn't convinced that she was in the dark about it, he allowed it to slide for now.

"Publicly the NAC has given their blessing to and willingly collaborate with the government administration of Area 11. However, I am almost certain that some members if not all of them are likely using their positions to provide intelligence and funding to Area 11's various resistance groups and terrorist cells, whichever you prefer, including the JLF. After all none of these groups could obtain their weapons and supplies for free, so I wouldn't be surprised if such were the case which is something I am sure the higher-ups in the government bureau likely suspect."

Kusakabe wanted to disprove such a claim; however, he was curious where this was going because it was clear there was a traitor who was intending to expose those within the NAC who supported the JLF and wanted some names.

"I see where this is going. Mr. Utsugi was some kind of spy to obtain evidence of any collaboration between the NAC and resistance groups like mines."

"The plan was actually a little more ambitious than that." The former prince explained with a smirk on his face. "Even if they got proof of the NAC's involvement with Japan's resistance groups it wouldn't be enough. The truth was that Miss Lohmeyer wasn't just after the identities of NAC collaborators; she wanted to know who they bought their weapons from and how they provided them to the various resistance groups."

"How would my husband fit into this he is just a dentist?"

"A dentist who is highly respected and skilled enough that he has some clients who are close to key members of the NAC as either bodyguards and assistants as well as the higher up members themselves. Has anyone heard about how the Britannian Army delivered a massive invasion of the Middle Eastern Federation recently wiping out several of their military bases quickly?"

"Ah, I see," Bradley said, realizing what Lelouch was hinting at, "The Britannian Military had abducted certain members of the Middle Eastern Federation's military leaders and some of their political leaders. Well, abduction is probably too strong of a word since they managed to capture them and without their knowledge implanted special transmitters into their teeth, allowing the Britannian Army to spy on the leadership of the Middle Eastern Federation. Thus, they were quickly able to hinder any attempts to call to their allies the EU for help and thwart their military efforts more brutally knowing every plan they were devising."

"Then the Britannians were going to do the same thing, then?" Kusakabe said with a stunned expression on his face that Arata Utsugi was being tasked to implant these transmitters on Britannia's behalf to turn his patients into unknowing spies to learn who were the collaborators among the NACs leaders.

"You are correct, but there was a problem," Lelouch answered with a smile as he was clearly on a roll. "In the past, the Britannians had knocked out their prisoners and implanted the transmitters. Doing so through a rather public dental office while the target would be awake and aware would present a problem. Putting him into a state of unconscious would've raised some questions, so someone else was needed to create special anesthesia that would not only numb a patient, but that could leave them unaware of what was happening."

"Basically a chemical that could leave a victim unaware of events happening, but they would shrug it off as nothing unusual. That doesn't seem to be possible to create." Kewell asked, but Lelouch was ready for that.

"That is true, but for someone with the title of Ultimate Chemist creating such a concoction wouldn't be a problem, isn't that right Dr. Hojo Shingetsu."

"ME!" Hojo exclaimed in shock, but he began sweating as Lelouch was narrowing him down as the actual murder.

"I had wondered if Miss Lohmeyer considered the possibility of being killed, so she trusted Mrs. Stadtfeld with some information about you and her plan." Lelouch began to explain. "Sharing something like that was risky, yet she was likely confident enough that if she staged the murder of Mr. Utsugi to look like his wife had done the deed because she knew that Mr. Utsugi was an unfaithful husband."

Mrs. Utsugi didn't seem surprised by this revelation, but more shockingly, she didn't seem bothered by it.

"As per her position she had gathered some secrets about him to use as blackmail material, should the need arise, but she had learned that Mr. Utsugi was in a relationship with his own assistant. In fact, I am more certain that she purposely shared this information to help her plan and convince us that Mrs. Utsugi was the killer. She was the manager for her daughter's acting career and if word got out that her husband working with the government to find those funding the resistance groups it would've been disastrous if such information got out."

Mrs. Utsugi was stunned, but no one was more shocked by Hojo, who was showing signs of worry.

"You stand accused eleven so what do you say in your defense?" Bradley said mockingly.

"It's an amusing theory for a child to come up with, but how do you plan to prove that I am the one who killed them."

"Actually, I was hoping you would ask," Lelouch answered as a sinister smile began to form on his face. "Take off those latex gloves you are wearing along with your shirt."

"Huh!"

"Our killer was injured last night attacking Miss Lohmeyer, and you wanted her dead quite badly seeing how she was going to throw you under the bus," Lelouch said as he continued his verbal assault backing the older man into a corner. "You sat at the table that was close to Miss Lohmeyer and Mrs. Stadtfeld in the cafeteria when they had their brief argument before the murder that was how you realized what she was planning, so you seized the opportunity."

"Yeah, I recall that as well, and he seemed very interested in what they were talking about," Kusakabe said in agreement.

"Even though he is a teacher of Hope's Peak Academy Elementary Division he is a chemist who works part-time with the higher grade divisions as a chemistry teacher. Considering you specialize with medical chemicals with considerable knowledge in key medical fields, he is more than capable of tending to some injuries from a knife wound. It's also these skills that allowed you to train your best student the Ultimate Pharmacist correct?" Lelouch asked before Gao Hài joined the verbal assault on the chemist.

"In fact, you had used the cleaning equipment Miss Lohmeyer had set aside to clean up the scene of the murder by cleaning up the blood you had likely left in the hallway when you went to the infirmary to tend to your injuries." The ambassador said remembering the cleaning supplies the first victim had set aside for her own use. "You had to use the buckets of water she had prepared because the water is shut off during the curfew hours."

"I admit I initially suspected Mrs. Utsugi being the killer, but when I saw that her hands showed no injury, I realized then someone else was setting her up." The former prince said holding up his hand as an example. "Furthermore, you used a scalpel to kill her husband when you lured him to the garbage room, so you murdered him since at the time you knew he was the only one who could've revealed your involvement since his wife didn't know about the arrangement involving you.

"But that is just…no it's not…" Hojo said as he was losing ground in the argument.

The young man didn't stop and kept the pressure on. "A blade like that would've been easier to hide than a kitchen knife, allowing you to catch him off guard when you slashed open his throat in a way that kept him from crying out leaving him to choke to death on his own blood. The scalpel I found by the incinerator when you tried to quickly destroy the evidence after you realized you couldn't dump the body because of your injury from the previous night."

"Take off your shirt eleven and let us see that wound," Kewell said as everyone in the room was convinced of the chemist's crime.

"Let me finish by saying that I found a kit that had been used containing everything you would need to stitch a wound used in the infirmary. I guess you weren't expecting anyone to look there were you, so there is no doubt you are the killer!" Lelouch said in triumph as he delivered the final blow.

Hojo Shingetsu went pale with sweat dripping down his forehead as he horrifying to realize that Lelouch has concerned him in what quickly became a one-sided debate slaughter, especially as he put forth critical pieces of evidence that turned the tide of the debate. Upon seeing everyone convinced of Dr. Shingetsu's crime, Monokuma began laughing jubilantly.

"Puhuhu, well done, it seems your arguments have come to a close, so it's time to begin the nerve-racking voting time."

Almost everyone was silent, save for the sound of the doctor's trembling.

"So go ahead and pull the level in front of you, but will your choice be the right one or the dreadfully wrong one."

On the monitors mounted upon the walls, a computer-generated animation of a slot machine displaying Monokuma's visage at the top began rolling until the results landed on three Chibi style faces of Dr. Shingetsu. The result had gold coins spilling out with flowers appearing next to it along with the sound of cheering.

"WELL DONE!" Monokuma exclaimed. "That's right Hojo Shingetsu was the blackened who murdered Alicia Lohmeyer and killed Arata Utsugi. Eat your heart out Professor Plum."

"You might have gotten away with it if you had surprised Miss Lohmeyer before she could fight back," Lelouch explained. "Those cuts and that stab wound she must've delivered on to you...I guess your shoulder doomed you."

Hojo grinned, "Heh, I didn't think there was someone so intelligent amongst us. I had always tried to make my son into a brilliant young man."

"Like I said the lack of injuries on Mrs. Utsugi led me to realize the deception you tried to set up. If you had managed to kill your first target before she realized the danger and escaped unscathed, then things might have ended differently." Lelouch pointed out. "Questioning Mrs. Stadtfeld led me to realize you were the only one who could've known what she might have done to keep your secret."

"I suppose, but there is one thing I'll correct you on since my fate is sealed," Hojo said before fixing Lelouch a cold stare. "My involvement with them wasn't my secret. My secret was experimenting on my son and then helping other parents with similar experiments."

Lelouch considered his words for a few moments before realizing what he was implying. "Are you talking about developing and using some kind of performance enhancement drugs?"

Hojo nodded in confirmation before explaining, "Yes and I studied and tested them on my son to create the ultimate prodigy and to test the limits of how far a child's mental capabilities could be pushed. If pushed far enough those limits could be exceeded, but if not the data I collected was helpful insight. My son is such a disappointment."

If there was any sympathy or any possible guilt, Lelouch might have felt for condemning Dr. Shingetsu to death evaporated. What Lelouch found more troubling was the lack of reaction or even outrage from almost no one else but Kusakabe.

 _I guess even one of the JLF's most extreme leaders has some standards._

Bradley's indifference was hardly surprising, and neither was it from the Britannian side, but it was from the Japanese among the gathering whom Lelouch was shocked by. It was quite troubling which begged the question if any of them were likely worse parents than Hojo was.

"I heard enough of this so why don't we move on," Lelouch said with a cold voice.

"Gladly," Monokuma cried out sounding as excited as a child getting a puppy for Christmas.

"Please, Monokuma I could be useful to you."

"Let me think….uh….NO!" Monokuma snapped back before putting the soon to be dead chemist and teacher of Hope's Peak Academy in his place. "You played the game, and you got caught, so you know what happens. So why don't we give it everything we got...its PUNISHMENT TIME!"

Hojo knew his demise was inevitable as his last effort to somehow offer his services to the bear was his only way out, but he should have known better. He didn't bother screaming, but he did attempt to escape, but there was no way out of the room open to him. As he tried in vain to flee a familiar pedestal was raised before Monokuma as he drew forth his hammer to hit the button before him.

At the moment he did the screens displayed a black screen with red background and coloring show a 2D Chibi sprite of Hojo.

* * *

 **Game Over**

 **Hojo Shingetsu has been found guilty!**

 **Time for his punishment!**

* * *

During the text, a 2D sprite of Monokuma walked by before grabbing the doctor by the hair and dragging him away.

A second later one of the curtains opened, revealing a dark passageway before a wire with a metal collar shot out to seize the chemist by his neck. Once the collar was locked onto his neck, the chemist was violently dragged down the darkened hallway as an " _Occupied"_ light shined above the doorway. At the end of the hall, Hojo was strapped to a chair right before various drugs were being pumped into him causing his body to begin bulking up.

Monokuma appeared moments later on a television screen hanging overhead.

"You got a chance to make it out of here, but you need to escape before I finish my performance." Monokuma explained before the camera pulled away to reveal that he was wearing a black tuxedo. He then walked over to a giant grand piano before climbing up to take his seat.

* * *

 **Trivia Murder Course Execution**

* * *

As the restraints on the chair, Hojo was released after his body was pumped full of various performance enhancement drugs the two-tone bear began his performance by playing Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C-sharp minor by Franz Liszt.

"Make it through the course, but don't forget if you get an answer wrong, you'll lose time and watch your HP too." Monokuma explained as he began playing with an HP bar appearing on the bottom of the screen.

Hojo didn't fully grasp what the bear meant, but he didn't care since it said he had a chance to survive and he was going to take it.

Hojo entered the double doors before him and found himself inside a small room with a metal door leading out. The room was painted white with a bright circular lamp on the ceiling and a monitor on one side of the room with three holes in the wall large enough for an arm to fit through while each one had a small LED display positioned above each hole.

A sensor in the room detected his presence as the large monitor activated revealing Monokuma dressed as a game show host wearing a light blue suit with a red tie standing behind a black podium.

"Pick your subject to receive your first question."

The screen changed showing five boxes Hojo could choose from World History, Famous Bears, Famous Places, Entertainment, Arts, and Literature.

Hojo chose Arts and Literature.

"How many paintings did Van Gogh sell during his lifetime?" Monokuma asked on the screen as three possible answers were lit up on the wall behind him. "Pick your answer and reach inside for the key, but be careful if you pick the wrong answer."

The first hole had the number one lit up while the second had fifteen and the last hole had thirty displayed over it.

Considering his choice carefully Hojo reached into the hole with the number one displayed above it, but after a moment of feeling the interior of the small compartment, he managed to find a key that allowed him to unlock the door and proceed into the next room. The next room was identical to the first, but this time it was painted red.

"Now pick the subject of your next question," the pre-recording of Monokuma asked before the same subject choices as seen in the previous room were displayed.

This time Hojo chose World History.

"In what EU country did this volcanic eruption that happened in 2013 A.T.B which caused chaos for millions of travelers?"

Three possible answers like before were displayed each individual hole in the wall from left to right; Italy, Iceland, and Spain.

The chemist chose Iceland, which luckily for him was the correct answer allowing him to find the next key.

"Well, nicely done, you got two questions right so far, but now we begin the real game where you got to dodge deadly traps so stay on your toes now Puhuhu!" The recording of Monokuma said, mocking Hojo as he entered the next room which was a hallway, but he found himself under attack by iron nails being fired at him. Thanks to the performance enhancement drugs he wasn't injured as he dodged the first wave, but the second wave grazed him while the third tore through some of his clothing leaving some light cuts in the process.

For the next eight minutes Hojo went from room to room answering questions, but he was forced to evade deadly traps along the way which left his clothing torn, and he had light and medium size cuts across his limbs and upper torso, but he had roughly a minute left before the song was over. His injuries were enough where he was leaving a small trail of blood wherever he went as a sign of how much damage he had sustained.

"You are almost there, and this is the last room before the final trek to freedom!" The recording of Monokuma answered as there was one question left to be answered, which belonged to the Famous Bears category. "Alright, final question and here it is…which bear enjoys watching your despair?"

Hojo's choices were Winnie the Pooh, Freddy Fazbear, and Monokuma.

His mind and body were weakened from the performance enhancement drugs wearing off while his injuries he sustained caused his vision to become hazy, but pushing his worn down body forward Hojo reached into the last hole to retrieve what would be the final key. Unfortunately, the answers got switched at the last second as Hojo put his hand in and as tired as he was, he didn't notice it until it was too late as a large blade sliced his arm off.

Hojo recoiled from the wall screaming at everything right before his elbow had been cut clean off, but the final door opened.

"You picked that fake mechanical bear over me…how dare you," Monokuma cursed even through Hoko didn't know that the bear had rigged it, "but you still got twenty seconds to escape."

Even though he was bleeding quite severely, Hojo hurried out of the room where he discovered to his horror that to escape, he had to climb out of rope ladder twenty feet to what appeared to be a hatch at the top before the song ended. Despite lacking an arm, Hojo hurried to climb up the latter using his last arm to grasp the ladder while using his legs to move him up the ladder. Sadly, his movements were too slow, but when the song had seven seconds left with Hojo at least up five feet the ground below him slid open to reveal a large pit filled with syringe-style giant spikes lining the bottom of the hole.

At the same time upon the second reached seven seconds left the hatch at the top was revealed to be faked as the music suddenly stopped, and the rope ladder was shown to be attached to the piano that Monokuma had been playing. Hojo could only scream as he fell into the spikes below and mere seconds after landing on them he was crushed by the piano.

In the room above Monokuma played, using a child size piano, the last notes finishing the song before bowing to the camera to thunderous applause.

The execution was over as everyone had watched the whole thing in stunned silence, but it wasn't long before that silence was broken and Monokuma reappeared.

"YAHOOOOOOO!" Monokuma cheered before hugging himself, "A KILLER PERFORMANCE! Oh the adrenaline is rushing through me, and that was a wonderful way to test the limits of our minds and bodies, but I guess Hojo got that last question wrong costing him some HP and he couldn't escape in time… too bad."

"HP… you meant blood from the beginning, obviously," Lelouch said. He still didn't care that Hojo had died, but the manner in which he died was a chilling reminder to him and everyone else of the fates that awaited them if a killer failed to get away with it or if a killer did get away with it.

"Yep, but don't worry the next executions will not be as drawn out as this one was."

With the trial over everyone was allowed to leave while Junko was already putting together another video to broadcast to Area 11 to announce who had died so far. To keep everyone's identities, safe Junko would modify some aspects of the courtroom and replace the others with animated bear avatars and some new voices to disguise the others from the public.

 _Ten are left, so who will die next?_ Junko thought with a sinister smile.

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater:**

Monokuma was dressed in his tuxedo sitting before another piano playing another tune on it before turning around.

"So how did you guys like my performance?" Monokuma asked before showing his paws. "I mean not bad for a bear with paws which can play the piano right. I mean, check this out… one hand."

Monokuma began playing the song again with one hand and yet he was still successfully able to play Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 despite it being impossible.

"Now no hands!"

The bear leaped onto the piano and began dancing on the keys.

"Oh, don't look like that it's not like I rigged it somehow….scout's honor!" Monokuma replied with a thumbs up gesture.

* * *

A/N:

 **Players Remaining: 10**

Well, the first murder and it has been solved due to a severe mistake made by the killer early on, although halfway through this it felt a little one-sided, it is the first mystery, so maybe it should be fine as is. I did consider having Arata's wife be the killer for this one, but I realized that would be too easy. Still, I think for my first murder mystery of the story I think I did decent, or I would like to hope so, but I look forward to hearing what you guys have to say. Hopefully, later on, I can do something a little more shocking and surprising for a good murder mystery.

However Lelouch might've put himself into a perilous position because of how capable he proved to be during the trial, but either he has made himself valuable to get rid of (at this point), or he might have painted a big target on his back.

In this chapter we had Yasuke introduced, so for those not familiar with his character who appeared in Danganronpa/Zero he (in canon) who was Junko's childhood friend and eventual lover becoming her accomplice later before…well, I won't finish that. However as a change and to set the stage for specific events down the line Yasuke and Junko didn't become lovers this time due to Junko's growing interest in Lelouch. But Yasuke did has strong feelings for Junko and at some point might end up being pushed to "compete" for Junko with either realizing it. The winner in Junko's eyes would prove to be the one who would be the "better boyfriend" not to mention it would leave the loser in despair, so it's a win-win for her depending on how events play out.

As Junko said she would set the stage, and they would do the rest allowing her to keep her hands clean.

Also, I have put up a new version of my curiosity poll which I changed to who should survive the story instead of who deserves to get the ax on my profile. You can vote up to 23 choices, but you don't have to vote up to that many characters just whoever you think should survive. I did exclude some main characters since they are likely to survive anyway…or not depending on what might favor the story better.

For the execution, it was difficult finding a song that would fit it best as I wrote it, but of course, making into something that would be ironic for a man who cruelly pushed his own child to his breaking point. And then punish him with various cruel methods if he showed signs of slowing or falling asleep that usually involved knives to test how much he could endure. I decide to expand on it a little by making him a chemist who created performance enhancement drugs which he used on his son and soon sold to others to fund his research, which was how the Britannian Government became aware of his skills to recruit them for their plan.

Trying to make it match with the song especially as it was ending was difficult.

So that aside I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and I am contemplating other combinations of different pairings between Code Geass and Danganronpa characters I might try if the conditions are right.

Thank you in advance for your reviews, and they are much appreciated since the feedback for the last chapter was so good I decided to put out another chapter.


	5. Chapter 5 Despairing Intermission

A disclaimer: The views in this story do not match those of the author, and furthermore, he apparently doesn't own Code Geass or Danganronpa.

A/N: Thank you guys for the reviews and I got my hand on a new grammar checker program. I hope will at least help with my grammar as I write the chapters, so far it seems to be working well so I went back and I did a clean up on some of the chapters. I am not expecting one solution that solves all of my grammar and spelling issues, but I hope it helps in making the story better/easier to read.

I also finished my complete playthrough of Danganronpa and its School Mode (unlocked all character endings) with Danganronpa 2 next on my list. (I watched the anime and read the related manga books for the series before the game so that probably helped with my playthrough.)

Anyway, without further delay, here is the next chapter.

02/11/18: chapter edited and cleaned up

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their_ _mind._ _"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

 **Despairing Intermission**

Junko was reviewing the news and social media websites to gauge the public reaction of yesterday's first execution as well as the report of the first two victims before the execution. Of course Junko, as Monokuma, revealed the secrets surrounding them to explain the motive that led to their deaths. Naturally, it led to a lot of outrage over social media threads, which only made things worse for the authorities with even Hope's Peak coming under fire for Hojo's experiments and drugs he made.

Despite people worrying over the identities of the other participants of the Killing Game generally fearing someone close to them had been abducted for the game. Junko was disappointed by the lack of despair from those taking part, although she eyed some distress and fear amongst themselves following the first execution. Still, it wasn't what Junko Enoshima was looking for, and after mulling it over since yesterday, she had come to the conclusion why which she began to explain to her guest.

"I think the next Killing Game needs to have people who can be a little more friendly to one another," Junko mused, "so any trust that gets destroyed will create more despair especially if they close to anyone who dies or commits murder."

"..."

"I know I could have brought in Milly or one of the others, but maybe I didn't out of consideration for you."

"..."

Junko smiled, "but then again that would only drive him to hunt me down more so than before. Not that I would mind, but I rather he focuses more on going after Britannia and plunge the whole world into war so we can spread despair like wildfire since nothing helps spread despair like a good world war."

Junko's guest didn't move from the shadows but spoke again.

"..."

"Well, if he _really_ did try to hunt me down he would find out about me in due time since we both know he isn't stupid and more likely to take a more different approach compared to the so-called intelligent agents under the Viceroy." The strawberry blonde noted with what seemed to be complete indifference.

"I guess that is true, but what about today?" The guest inquired.

"As planned you'll take over for me until Monaca can, after all, we have to make public appearances otherwise some might get suspicious," Junko explained before leaving a notebook behind for her guest who was set to take over as Monokuma for a time until her replacement came along.

Junko rose from her chair, preparing to leave with a dark smile on her face as she stands in was ready to take over for her.

"Everything you need including the new interface is ready for you, so operating Monokuma and taking over for me, for now, shouldn't be a problem," Junko said with a smile as she put a hand on her guest's shoulder. "...have fun."

* * *

Following the morning announcement, which was typically Monokuma announcing a new day had started and the curfew was over everyone as always made their way to the cafeteria. Lelouch was more cautious than usual, but fortunately, he didn't have any problems making his way to the cafeteria for breakfast. The atmosphere was strangely quiet, which was no surprise given yesterday's events, but Lelouch was sure some were planning a murder already while others might have been waiting for an ideal opportunity since they all knew that killing alone wasn't enough.

The real trick was not only pulling off the murder, but the best way to get away with it was to blame it on someone else. The rules made it clear that they had to vote for _someone_ otherwise the murder could risk being discovered through a possible accidental vote especially if said person was someone most of the people here might have suspected would've killed. Given the events of yesterday, Lelouch feared his way of deducing who the killer was might've made him a target for a murder to eliminate someone who fears might be exposed as a killer. Lelouch knew he could use it to his advantage since some might want to keep him alive at least until they commit their own murder.

The game had become even riskier for Lelouch Lamperouge.

*Ding-dong ding*

At that moment all eyes were on the nearest monitor.

"Attention all players," Monokuma spoke as his face appeared on the screen, "would all of you please report to the auditorium for a special announcement."

Finishing his meal, Lelouch followed the others as they made their way to the auditorium. Some didn't want to go yet they all knew if they didn't go Monokuma would possibly kill them for defying him. With that in mind everyone filed into the auditorium, but upon the last person entering the gym, Monokuma appeared as he popped up from behind the podium landing on top of it in a sitting position.

"Good morning everyone!" Monokuma greeted in his usual laid-back tone, but Lelouch readied himself for whatever was coming next. "Since you all passed the first trial I figured I would reward you guys with some presents, two presents in fact."

"Two presents?!" Gao Hài inquired with one hand on his chin.

"Yep… the first present is in your rooms, but I wouldn't show them off. Then the second present is that I have opened up a new area for you to explore and I encourage all of you to check it out." Monokuma explained as on the monitor behind him a security gate that had closed off a section of the playing arena was being lifted allowing entry into what lay beyond. "So go forth and explore the new world that has opened before you."

Once the meeting was over Lelouch, and everyone else returned to their rooms.

Upon entering his room, Lelouch found a small box gifted wrapped in white wrapping paper tied with black ribbon and a bow sitting on his bed. He picked up the gift and began opening it, which was roughly about the size of a shoe box, but he was shocked upon what he discovered inside.

 _I see, so you are giving us weapons now._

Responding to precisely what he thought Monokuma spoke, "Yep, give that man a prize!"

Lelouch was surprised that the bear had realized what he was thinking but other than that he had grown used to Monokuma suddenly showing up in his room, seemingly at will, so that didn't surprise him as much.

"So judging by your words from the auditorium, I assume not only does each of us have a weapon, but it's a different weapon correct?"

"Yup yup," Monokuma responded in a positive tone, "each of you got a different weapon with some of you get some of the more traditional classic murder weapons like a brass candlestick, a heavy wrench, and a rope with a noose on it, a knife and other ones."

"And the reason for telling us not to brag about them was for our own benefit because if that person's weapon were used during a murder, we would instantly suspect them."

"Exactly and being the host of this game, I got to keep things fair and even amongst all of the players."

Lelouch said nothing to that knowing that antagonizing the bear would only endanger him needlessly.

"Since you are here, let me ask you? When will you present our next motive, because I am sure you'll either offer the monetary reward to the players officially or you'll do something else?"

"Good question, but more than likely if I get bored again."

"I see," Lelouch said even though he had expected such a response, but it did confirm what he already knew was going to take place. But when Lelouch turned away his attention to put his gift down while determining an excellent way to carry his gift without alerting anyone to what exactly he had Monokuma vanished once again.

 _I guess I better explore this new area…_

Meanwhile, as everyone in the Killing Game went about exploring the new areas open to them.

* * *

Junko was apparently less than happy about the assignment assigned to them by Milly. The Ultimate Despair had an alibi to build, but it didn't mean she had to like it. Seeing her sister's expression Mukuro understood what her sister was feeling, but she was hopeful they could get it over with quickly. After all, the task ahead of the sisters was to clean out some abandoned club rooms in a small old building located on the far corner of the school. It was one of the original buildings left when the academy was first built, and over time the other buildings had been built up upon further and improved. Part of this was because when the school first opened the administrators wanted the school's students to be active, so it allowed for a wide range of clubs to be created. This was furthered by the rule that all students had to be part of a club or the student council, but while the main building typically had all of the clubs the old annex had all of the _unwanted clubs_.

The old building they had to clean out was where the _strange and unusual_ clubs were established since as far as Junko knew these clubs were too bizarre or just outright wanted nowhere near the other clubs.

"Jeez, this building has more of the feel of a haunted house than a clubhouse for the school's unwanted clubs," Junko commented with a sigh.

The hallway they were in had no windows and because of its lack of use the halls reflected that with dust and even cobwebs crowing around some of the door frames. Even with the hallway lights turned on the house felt more like a cheap haunted house you find on some discount fairground than a school building, primarily since the hallway at the far end was dark like a pathway leading to hell.

In preparation for the task ahead of them the Despair Sisters came with cleaning supplies. Junko had a broom and dustpan with a bucket carrying sponges, towels and cleaning solutions. Mukuro's choice of supplies was a mop with a bucket of water. Both were wearing aprons with Mukuro's being plain white, while Junko wore a pink apron with cartoon rabbits printed on it.

"So how the hell did Milly rope us into this?"

"It is because no one else was available," Mukuro answered flatly.

"Well, no shit idiot?" Junko snapped without hiding her clear distaste for their task. "Milly is doing another marriage interview, which will just end with the guy getting kicked in the dick. Shirley is at a swim meet."

"Rivalz is out sick with hemorrhoids."

"Yes, while Nina is studying in the lab again, but I wonder if she'll blow it up again."

"If that happens again she'll be expelled."

"Actually surviving such a blast is her main concern, you idiot." Junko shot back.

 _That reminds me...how did she escape injury from the last time?_

Pushing the thought aside, for now, Junko and Mukuro came to the first club room they needed to clean out since the school was planning on remodeling the building to serve a new purpose at the school which the sisters suspected would become the new classrooms for more gardening and environmental specific classes.

"Alright, let's get this shit over with," Junko said not wanting to do their task, but they had little choice, especially if she wants to keep people including Lelouch from suspecting she was the leader of Ultimate Despair. "What is the first room?"

"Let's see," Mukuro began before using a gloved hand to wipe away some dust from the nameplate to read it out loud, "The Fall-Down-Seven-Times-and-Topple-Eight-Times Club."

"What the hell kind of name is that? It makes no sense at all, but I suppose it should be no surprise since that club is dead right?"

"Yes and according to what I heard it's been dead for two years."

"The introduction to the club is still here," The Ultimate Soldier leaned in closer to read the tapped introduction that was under the door's nameplate, "It says we are a negative club that believes in falling seven times and toppling eight times. Our activities have no victories, and the philosophy of losers is our policy. We shall be looking down as we walk and our values-"

"Ok, that's enough, or do you enjoy assaulting my ears and brain with such garbage. I can't even imagine how a club with such a stupid idea behind it got established in the first place. I can't even tell if these guys were in despair from being picked on or something or…" Junko was saying before pausing for a moment to think. "No, I am giving them too much credit. This club was established and ran by idiots."

"We just need to clear out the room and keep any documents for the Academy archives."

"Oh hell no I say we just toss a Molotov cocktail and that'll take care of it." Junko noted before adding, "Besides who would want a record of this club anyway?"

Mukuro didn't argue against her sister, but first things first were that they needed to open the door. Unlike the other buildings in the academy, this one didn't have automatic sliding doors, so they had to turn a doorknob to open the door. However, once the door was open, they were greeted with an unexpected sight that even caught Junko off guard.

"Oh," Junko said with a look of surprise.

Upon inspecting the room, the two found it was completely empty save for some old white blinds on the single window the room had. Besides that, the clubroom was utterly deserted, seemingly never used.

"Well, if the rest of the rooms are like this then we'll be done in no time."

Junko proceeded to enter the room upon which Mukuro cried out.

"LOOK OUT!"

In seconds Junko was tackled to the ground, but before she could give an angry retort, she heard a loud crash followed by water droplets showering down on the duo. The sound caused Junko to pause as Mukuro calmly slipped a coin from a pocket before tossing it into the air.

This time Junko saw it as a highly pressurized stream of water hit the coin in the center before the same hit sent the coin flying to another corner of the room.

"I see, so there are high-pressure water guns installed inside the room, so they don't use bullets; however, they are still very destructive," Mukuro said calmly assessing the situation. "There must be a sensor hidden nearby that must trigger the guns if you walk in at a certain height. Hence the club's motto I suppose about always looking down."

"Who the hell thought installing something like that in a club room was a good idea and why wasn't there some kind of accident or something while it's been closed down?" Junko exclaimed in surprise with a hint of anger especially since her head would've been hit had Mukuro not intervened.

Mukuro shrugged her shoulders before saying, "I guess this really means no one has touched these club rooms in the last two years."

"No shit, Sherlock," Junko said before she and Mukuro crawled out of the room. After leaving Junko slammed the door shut. "The fucking janitors here are as lazy as shit."

"I could disarm the trap…it's only a matter of finding a way to disable the system and its sensors from the outside." Mukuro pointed out, although they knew about the one sensor who couldn't tell if there was more hidden throughout the room.

"And do what? We can't clean this room." Junko said before rising back up to her feet. "We'll come back to this room later, so what is the next one?"

Mukuro who was already on her feet inspected the nameplate of the next club.

"This one is called the…the Landmine Club!"

Junko was left slack-jawed at what she just heard, "seriously, how the hell hasn't anyone died in this part of the school."

"Maybe the landlines are just old and used ones they had collected?"

Junko began waving her hand dismissively at her sister, "yeah, you believe that, and you walk in, and then we'll see what happens I'll check out the next one."

Reading the nameplate of the next clubroom Junko could only raise an eyebrow, but at the same time, this club seemed to be relatively normal, words she used rather loosely, compared to the last two.

" _Frog Lovers Club…"_

As Junko was about to open the door, Mukuro decided to play it safe and use her broom to open the door, but at the same time she opened the door as Junko opened her door, there was an explosion of a Claymore mine going off. Mukuro was safely out of harm's way as was Junko, but the blast triggered something in the room Junko was opening causing her to be completely covered from head to toe in what was some kind of dark green grease-like substance.

Junko was frozen as her mind was trying to grasp what she was covered in until she muttered while ignoring the fact a Claymore went off near her older sister.

"Mukuro…what the fuck is this shit?!"

Moving closer to inspect her sister Mukuro had used a finger to bring some of the grease-like substance to her nose to smell it before pulling back from the horrible odor.

"This…is toad grease."

"Toad…grease?" Junko asked with a shaky tone of voice, which Mukuro nodded in confirmation. How Mukuro knew it was toad grease was a story best left untold as it came from her time as a mercenary in the EU. It wasn't long before Junko stopped shaking as she got over the fact she was covered completely in disgusting toad grease, and her tone of voice took on one full of rage ready to come out. "There is a bulldozer at a construction site down the street from here….I am…GETTING IT!"

* * *

As Mukuro struggled to calm down her younger sister from doing anything too rash there were people in another school reeling from the announcement that Professor Hojo Shingetsu not only committed murder but had been executed after he had been found out. Of course with the revelation that he had been creating experimental drugs and testing them on his own son that unleashed a scandal that rocked Hope's Peak Academy. Nevertheless, the school continued operations as usual thanks in part to the protection they enjoyed from the Emperor.

It was after school, but some students lingered around to make time for friends. Among them sitting under a tree in the courtyard was Monaca in her wheelchair dressed in a blue school uniform complete with a skirt and red bow tie. With her were four others with one of them being Nagisa Shingetsu, Hojo's son and a student of Hope's Peak Elementary Division.

He wore a uniform similar to that of Monaca's, but unlike hers, he had shorts instead of a skirt.

Nagisa had a fair skin complexion with short blue hair, but it was styled to possess two cowlicks in shape of cat ears. His eyes were a lighter blue compared to his hair and had odd diamonds representing his irises.

"So how is your new home life treating you?" Monaca asked of Nagisa who began blushing at the question before answering as he struggled to regain his composure.

"Actually, it has been a lot more pleasant with him gone, and I have so much free time on my hands now."

It was hardly a surprise to Monaca, but she knew about the constant abuse Nagisa was put through as he was used as a lab rat. He was raised for the sole purpose of testing and pushing a child to his very limits and possibly beyond as his father fed him drugs and performance enhancers to push him through hours of studying and bettering his skills. As a result, he barely had any chance to sleep, but with his parents gone as his mother had died as a result of an unfortunate _accident_ when she committed suicide by driving her car into an oncoming train.

Of course, Monaca knew better as it got written off as a suicide thanks to Junko and her influence with the police department.

"You don't miss the drugs or the long nights?" The not-so-pleasant of their group asked with a raspy voice, which was due to the leather mask which he wore was made out of mismatched patches of leather and other materials that were possibly capable of doubling as a gas mask due to the breathing tubes hanging below his chin. Through the eye holes of the mask it could be seen that he had gray eyes, and like the rest of his friends had a usual scalpel pattern as irises.

Like the other boys of the group, he wore the same school uniform as everyone else of Hope Peak's Elementary School Division.

"I mean having all those needles must've felt great," Jotaro Kemuri said which Nagisa found unpleasant to listen to, but that was how Jotaro usually was as he had a fascination with dark and disturbing subjects.

"Oh come on enough about that. I mean no parents; Nagisa is living the free life!"

He was the most athletic and energetic of the group possessing suntan-skin with red hair and bushy eyebrows, and blue eyes with a flame pattern iris. Aside from his uniform, he wore a pair of white headphones on his head.

"Come on Masaru," Monaca lightly, but jokingly scolded, "it must be lonely living all by himself now, so if you want Nagisa, you could come spend the night at my house sometimes."

"Oh a sleepover that sounds like a good idea," Masaru Daimon complimented liking the idea while seemingly not realizing the invitation was more for Nagisa.

"I don't think that invitation was intended for you."

The last member of their group was a girl with very long pink hair tied into pigtails and matching pink eyes with speech bubbles acting as the irises. She wore the same style of school uniform as Monaca and was the natural opposite of Jotaro in personality and appearance to a degree.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Masaru snapped at Kotoko Utsugi.

The group was interrupted from further conversation by a trio of visitors with Nagisa recognizing one of them as one of his father's favored students whose teachers as well as her own talent that he had helped develop further allowed her to take the title of Ultimate Pharmacist. The female teenager was short for her age with a height of five foot three with purple eyes and a sickly complexion. She has medium-length hair that had a distinctive style to it while being pale gray hair in color, but what made her stand out was the dark purple respirator mask covering her mouth.

Like female students of the high school division of Hope's Peak Academy, she wore the brown skirt, a matching school jacket with a white dress shirt and red bow tie. However, like some students, she modified her uniform a little by adding in a purple vest, purple gloves with a single white stripe in the middle. She also wore a purple belt wrapped around loosely around her waist while she wore long black stockings and purple Mary Janes.

"I am sorry to hear about your father Nagisa, but with everything, he did to you…" Seiko Kimura began as she was trying to find the next words to say, but nothing came to mind that felt appropriate.

The second female of the group intervened, "oh come on, the guy was experimenting on his own kid, so who knows what else he was doing. I don't get why you got to apologize on his behalf."

Ruruka Andoh, the Ultimate Confectioner, was almost the polar opposite of Seiko and her appearance reflected that as she was slightly taller than Seiko possessing lilac eyes, short strawberry blonde hair, and a petite, cheerful demeanor overall. Her high uniform was also modified to fit her choice of style that included a thick fur trimming around her neck, white thigh high socks and pink boots with multiple straps. Lastly completing her look was her signature pink hat and a green ribbon with strawberries on the ends.

"You two are not exactly doing a good job," Sohnosuke Izayoi pointed out bluntly.

The last member of the trio was male and taller than both Ruruka and Seiko because he was five foot eleven with a lean frame as a result of his work and talent of being the Ultimate Blacksmith. He also has short pale blonde hair, sharp brown eyes, pale skin and a severe expression. He wore the standard academy uniform consisting of brown pants and a matching jacket while he wore a white dress shirt and red tie. Like his two friends, he customized his attire with a red trench coat, dark red fingerless gloves, and dark brown boots.

"To be fair given what Nagisa's dad was doing to his own child makes trying to offer condolences to the child who suffered is problematic," Monaca offered logically.

"I know it might not appear normal for the child to be unmoved by the death of his parent, but knowing what I endured who could blame me," Nagisa said while shrugging his shoulders.

"Well, this turned awkward," Sohnosuke said, deciding to intervene for the sake of both Seiko and Ruruka when they were unable to come up with suitable responses. "Anyway, I should probably be a little more up front and tell you that Ruruka made candy for you and the rest of you as something to help you through this difficult time. It's not much I know, but neither of them felt comfortable not doing something. Of course, I know two of you also lost someone to Monokuma's game, so you have our condolences as well."

"I see," Nagisa answered, although he was indifferent to the offer of sympathy, he knew it was best to keep up appearances for the sake of avoiding suspicion and besides…what child in their right mind would turn down free candy? "Your kindness is unnecessary, but it is appreciated."

"Yes, well," Ruruka said thankful for the save her boyfriend had provided, "here you go, and there is enough for the rest of you."

Ruruka left the group a large bag of candy and sweets in a pink plastic bag before she, Seiko and Sohnosuke decided to excuse themselves. Once they were well out of earshot, the five children began talking again.

"Man, if more people keep feeling sorry for you that might mean a lot more treats." Masaru mused with a big smile, but in truth, he was annoyed when no one else had offered such sympathy when his own father had been killed.

"Well, who cares about that, we got free candy for it!" Kotoko said; because like Nagisa and Masaru she didn't care about the fact her father was dead, and her mother would probably die next soon enough.

"Yes and soon enough big sis will take care of all of our problems and those evil demons we called parents will be gone," Monaca said with a sweet smile. She knew just as she arranged for Haiji to take part in the Killing Game she also helped set up for the parents of her friends to be included as well as all of them had done terrible things to each of them.

Masaru's father was a lazy and abusive alcoholic who would press Masaru into going out to buy beer for him, but either on purpose or was just too drunk to realize that Masaru was far too young to buy it, so he always ended up being beaten for it.

Jotaro's mother mistreated her child, although not in a physical sense, but rather in an emotional way. He knew from the day he could comprehend and understand that Jotaro was an unwanted child with his mother openly wishing he would die because his birth had left her unable to pursue other goals in life and more. The emotional abuse got to a point where he was so convinced he was ugly he was made to wear a mask and Jotaro found it easier to be hated than to be loved.

Monaca had been, and always will be, just the outsider to the family, although she endured physical and emotional abuse growing up until she was paralyzed from the waist down, which caused the family to stop their mistreatment after realizing they might have been the cause.

Yet all of that paled in comparison to what Kotoko endured as she had suffered far more horribly than Monaca, Masaru, Jotaro, and Nagisa had together at both the hands of her father, but more so because of her mother.

"But you know," Kotoko began before eagerly munching on some candy, "maybe we should keep Ruruka alive in our paradise as long as she makes plenty of sweets."

"That is an excellent idea, maybe we'll keep the adults who can make sweets for us, and they'll get to live once we build our paradise," Monaca said, agreeing while everyone else was of similar thought. On the other hand, they were too busy munching on the candy given to them to care at the moment.

Their paradise would be a city that would be a haven for children, by the children and only for the children.

It would be a place that would be _adult-free_ one way or another.

* * *

Inside the Killing Game Arena Lelouch cautiously explored the new area discovering three rooms dubbed the Multimedia Room, Chemistry Lab, Tool Room and a Library. The Multimedia Room, true to its name, was filled with portable cameras and pocket recording devices which Lelouch made sure to grab one seeing that such a thing could be useful. He pocketed one after testing if it worked and if it could work if he turned it on while it was in use inside his coat as a second test. The room also had monitors on each desk with a DVD player while there were massive speakers positioned around the room with a large screen on the far end allowing the room to double as a small theater if need be.

 _Was this place a school that was repurposed for this game?_

The more of the new rooms Lelouch saw the young man was sure this place must've been a school at some point before Monokuma, and Ultimate Despair remodeled the whole building to fit their twisted designs.

 _I suppose this could mean we might be under the blocks of the Toyko Settlement since I know the_ _blocks_ _were built over the ruins of Toyko even those many of those buildings were supposed to have been cleared away._

The former prince theorized that hosting a game of this magnitude in the ghettos would run the risk of discovery, but if you hid it under their noses, then it could go on without risk of detection much more efficiently. The blocks that compose the Toyko Settlement were designed to act as a counter to Earthquakes. Because of their size and how tall the blocks alone stood around the surrounding area, it might be possible to hide a hideout below them especially if any of the buildings at the base were intact enough for such a purpose.

It wasn't a solid theory because any buildings should've been cleared away, but who knows if someone was bribed to leave a few or if the construction crews had cut a few corners to save on costs.

Lelouch inspected the tool room, and he found it filled with various tools such as wrenches, screwdrivers, electric tape, hammers including an electric hand saw. The room upon further inspection, assuming the location of this place was a former school, was likely a tool shop class as some desks and workbenches were dotting the windowless room.

 _Plenty of different murder weapons to use here…_

After collecting a few things, he could easily pocket the young man decided to investigate the library, or instead he merely decided to poke his head in as he didn't imagine anything to be particularly useful there.

Upon peaking inside Lelouch saw bookshelves filled with various books and saw six rows of books, including a smaller room in the back which must've been some kind of archive. He thought about exploring it later because for now, it wasn't a priority.

The last of the new rooms was a chemistry lab where it had storage shelves holding various chemicals and reagents along with three tables with ready to use chemistry sets that included vials and multiple tools for mixing chemicals together. Lelouch inspected the storage cabinets, three in all, which each one marked from left to right: Vitamin Supplements, Reagents, and Poisons.

 _I better start planning to eat out of cans from now on._

Being in the chemistry room did give Lelouch a few ideas, and after looking around, he remembered a chemical concoction he had created to escape a teacher when he sought to sneak out of school. He was no chemist, but he knew enough to pass the class with an A and how to create a concoction to create a very potent smokescreen.

 _Maybe I should make a vial or two so if I need to escape I'll have a quick means to do so as long as I am not facing someone like the Knight of Eleven._

The smokescreen chemical wasn't hard to make since Lelouch had everything he needed on hand, so he created three vials' worth, and he used the electric tape to seal them as the chemicals were already reacting. Lelouch would need to be mindful of storing them someplace safe; although he was confident, the tape would hold he wasn't sure if the reaction would be the same since he had never prepared the concoction only to store it for a time.

 _Maybe I should test one out tomorrow, but for now…_

Lelouch was about to clean up and leave, but his thoughts were interrupted when he noticed Minoru Kemuri entering the room. The seemingly neutral expression on her face and the fact she had both hands behind her back hiding something made Lelouch feel nervous, and on alert, although he hadn't put the vials in his pocket yet he still had everything he used before him. However, Lelouch slipped one hand into his pocket inside his uniform jacket seemingly to pull something out, but in reality, he was flipping on one of the tape recorders he collected.

"Are you feeling a nervous being in a room with a Japanese woman?" Minoru asked with a sweet tone, which seemed oddly out of place a she appeared to be one of the quieter ones.

"Not at all, but you can't deny something could happen given the game we have been pressed into," Lelouch said, withdrawing his hand which held a pen that he had for useful purposes, but it hid the fact he had a tape recorder going. He made it appear he was going to use it to write something down, but it was a lie.

"You have a point, but with four people dead some might become desperate to escape," Minoru said, moving closer, but Lelouch placed the pen on the table while his hand was near the chemistry set as his body tensed up suspecting a blatant attempt to lower his guard. Still, Lelouch tried to play it off casually to avoid prompting a preemptive response from the older woman.

Lelouch nodded in agreement, "yes, which is to be expected as well, but there is the question if the bear will honor his promise of letting the survivor go."

Minoru said nothing, but she got in arm's reach of Lelouch before she spoke.

"Let's find out since you are a," Minoru said before she revealed what she had behind her back, a battery powered hand saw with a five-inch-long blade, as she lunged at Lelouch grabbing her shoulder with her free hand. "EASY TARGET!"

Fortunately for Lelouch, he was expecting foul play and was ready as he leaned back and tossed one of the bottles of chemicals he had been using into her eyes blinding her. She lost her grip on both her weapon and Lelouch as she instructively reached for her eyes as the chemicals were having a nasty effect on her eyes. Lelouch didn't stop because once he was freed, he shoved the woman away before dropping one of the vials to create a smokescreen as a precaution should she recover. It was unlikely she would rise to her feet, but since his life was at stake, he didn't want to take any chances.

"I HAVE TO KILL YOU…SO I CAN LIVE!" Minoru screamed in pain as she tried to open her eyes, but the chemicals made them useless for now. "My life…is more important, and I have much I want to do once I get rid of that useless baggage of a child I have."

Using the table as a guide, Lelouch navigated his way through the room and managed to make his way to the open door thanks to it having been left open. Once he was out Lelouch was met by the others who had heard the sound of glass shattering and screaming from Minoru as the chemicals had apparently done more damage to her eyes than Lelouch had thought.

"What the hell happened in there?!" Kusakabe demanded.

"Minoru tried to kill me with a saw, so I fought back," Lelouch answered, but everyone seemed skeptical at least those of the Japanese side.

"Hey, I got proof!" Lelouch said before drawing out the tape recorder and playing the recording of Minoru as well as that revealed her intent to kill Lelouch. "She tried to kill me, so I hit her in the face with some chemicals on the table."

"So self-defense, but is she alive?" Kewell asked with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I hear her from here, so I believe she is." The Black King pointed out.

"So what happens when someone botches a killing?" Luciano asked prompting Monokuma to appear.

"THEY GET PUNISHED!" Monokuma announced upon appearing before putting both hands behind his back, "Anyone who tries to kill a person, but fails gets instantly executed."

"I see, so death by poison," Kewell said, but Monokuma began laughing sadistically.

"Actually, because her attempt was so bad and poorly planned I am going to use the special punishment I made for her," Monokuma began before adopting more angry expression. "I am so angry right now I am not going to simply punish her with lethal injection for this botched murder attempt. I mean a potential class trial has been wasted, but furthermore, this will be an example to the rest of you to plan your murders better."

Without another world, Monokuma went into the lab and returned moments later by dragging Minoru out the door and then down the hall. Minoru had seemingly begun to recover her, but the eyes were unusable because of the chemicals haven't been washed out.

"All players report to the Multimedia Room for a special feature," Monokuma announced as he continued dragging Minoru down the hall with one arm.

"Where…what…where are you taking me!?" Minoru asked in horror as she tried to struggle, but despite Monokuma's size his grip and strength were surprisingly unyielding.

"Oh come on…you tried to murder, but failed BADLY, so you are going to be executed as an example to the rest of them to plan their murders better or else." The two-tone bear announced to Minoru who began struggling like mad to escape, but the bracelet activated injecting her with a drug that immobilized her. "Oh, don't worry; it will wear off in a few minutes…I mean your despair wouldn't be worth watching if you couldn't try to escape RIGHT?"

Minoru began crying out for help, but no one attempted to help her.

"I guess this is just like your life…no planning. You just lived from one moment to the next, but you just wanted the easy life, so you offered yourself to a Britannian noble who knocked you up and then tossed you aside after you got pregnant with his child." Monokuma explained as he continued to drag Minoru away, "I mean seriously the guy was a member of the nobility. You honestly thought he would marry you after he had his fun with you. So stupid and you even hated the kid saying you didn't want him wishing he would die. Well, after today, you won't have to worry about that anymore."

Unlike the exuberantly laughing Monokuma, the unfortunate woman being dragged away to her execution continued crying and screaming for help even though it was apparent no one was willing to defy Monokuma for her sake, especially after she tried to murder someone.

Once they were out of sight, everyone filed into the Multimedia Room with everyone finding a chair to sit in. After the last person had walked in, the lights in the room dimmed before the monitor on the far side of the room activated revealing Monokuma seated upon his throne with a very familiar device being raised up before him.

"I am so upset that we couldn't have another proper murder and a trial, but on that note, be sure to use the library because I made sure to stock it with plenty of books about mysteries to give you some ideas. The archive room even has some real police files possessing information, unsolved cases, not even the public is allowed to see." Monokuma explained before adding with a devilish smile as Minoru was still crying and screaming for help in the background. "So with that out of the way, let's give it everything we got…IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!"

"NOOOO!" Minoru cried out as Monokuma hit the button on the pedestal in front of him starting the usual animation as the following text was displayed.

* * *

 **Game Over**

 **Minoru Kemuri has been found guilty**

 **Time for the punishment!**

* * *

Minoru was dropped down a trap door before landing in what appeared to be an old hallway belonging to a former rundown apartment complex, but without the use of her eyes, Minoru began feeling the walls to figure out where she was unaware that the wall behind her was moving towards her. She desperately tried to find a way out, but all she could do was hopelessly bouncing off the walls and any doors, she discovered were fake with only doorknobs attached to the wall. At the opposite end of the hall, a hidden passageway opened to reveal a ten-foot drop into a pit that was filled with a deadly assortment of snakes, bugs, lizards and who knows what else.

* * *

 **Hallway Drop Execution**

* * *

Without her eyes, she couldn't see what was ahead, which was probably both a blessing and a curse.

It wasn't long before the wall caught up to her pushing her towards the end of the hall where the pit awaited. But the wall stopped just two feet away from the edge, prompting Minoru began exploring, but when she walked towards the edge Monokuma appeared out of the passageway before tripping Minoru causes her to fall into the pit.

Minoru tried to grab hold of something, but there was nothing as she fell back falling towards the bottom of the pit. She screamed of course, but when she hit the ground, she landed in the middle of the hole as all of those deadly creatures converged upon her. The snakes began biting into her along with anything else, although she tried to escape, the venom now in her system started to do its work. It took a few minutes of listening to Minoru shouting for help until finally, she stopped.

The screen switched to Monokuma upon his throne.

"Now that is what I have been looking for…the look of despair on her face was priceless!" Monokuma said in a state of ecstasy. "Upupupu…oh, I feel so much better now, I can feel the adrenaline rushing through every inch of my stuffing. Making that example was totally the right call! Anyway, the rest of you can go now, but remember when you kill someone you better pull it off because if you fail and everyone finds out then instant execution."

With a final signature laugh, Monokuma vanished as the screen went black and the room returned to its regular lighting.

Lelouch was among the first to leave before he went downstairs and made a quick pit stop by the kitchen to grab some canned food along with a can opening and some bottled water. He didn't feel remorse nor did he feel sorry for Minoru since she tried to kill him to escape, so she brought her own death upon herself. It might've been a bit excessive, but he had to consider the possibility someone might attempt to poison him or someone else.

As he retreated to his room, Lelouch had one thought going through his mind.

 _I got to make a move now,_ _or_ _I won't last much longer._

* * *

Later that night Junko had returned to Monokuma's control room to relieve her follower after covering for Junko for the entire day, but when she returned, she had brought someone else with her to go over what had taken place. Junko was busy going over the recordings of the events that had happened while she was gone and was made aware of Minoru's murder attempt by Lelouch which ended in complete failure resulting in instant execution.

She hadn't expected Minoru would attempt to murder Lelouch, but given how she led her life always trying to do things the easy way without any planning, it was doomed to fail. The despair she experienced during the execution and before gave Junko the pickup she needed, especially considering what had happened to her and Mukuro earlier in the day. Mukuro managed to convince her sister not to proceed with her destructive plan and instead opted to sue the previous club members as the academy pressed criminal charges against them as well.

"So only nine remain," Junko's guest commented.

"I am sure that number will start dwindling down by tomorrow. Hell, I won't even need to threaten our players with their loved ones at this rate."

The woman present with Junko was the same age as Junko standing at five foot eight with long, knee length, cerulean hair that starts smoothly and becomes wavy the lower it goes. Her eyes are soft teal and round while she wore a pair of rimless glasses. Her uniform was the standard Hope's Peak Academy uniform, but her outfit replaced the skirt with a brown knee-length pleated dress, adorned with six white buttons on her waist and dark blue suspenders holding it in place. She wore a pair of black loafers with matching knee-high socks.

"I have no doubt of that."

"I agree, but how did the improved interface control system work?" Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer of Hope's Peak Academy Middle School Division, inquired with her right index finger under her chin.

Soon she would join the High School Division as part of the upcoming Class 78.

"It worked out better than expected, so are that much closer to creating a more portable control system for Monokuma so we'll no longer need big rooms like this one," Junko answered with a big smile before turning her attention towards Tsumugi. "Is your costume ready so you can start filling for me so I can focus more on running things here and you can become me and take my place at Ashford Academy for a little while."

"Everything will be ready for tomorrow, and no one from Hope's Peak will ask questions about my disappearance." The Ultimate Cosplayer replied with a confident smile, "as far as they know I am overseas obtaining materials for my next costumes."

The Ultimate Despair smiled darkly, "isn't it wonderful that unlike most schools that other than studying for an end of the year exam, you barely need to attend classes as long as you are practicing your talent."

"It's worked perfectly for your purposes, but on that note, are you alright with me unable to keep tabs on Yasuke for a while?"

Junko considered that thought for a moment before she answered, "Nah don't worry. He is still loyal to me out of our childhood friendship, but if he thinks he can win me over at this point, he better start dreaming."

"Oh," Tsumugi said as a smile formed on her face, "didn't you say something different to Mukuro and Yasuke?"

"I did, although I am willing to give Yasuke another shot, I am about to write him off as a lost cause." Junko began to explain something to Tsumugi that she hasn't shared with Mukuro. "Lelouch is far more interesting, and despite my expectations, he is lasting much longer than I expected, which is just… wonderful!"

Having predicted almost every aspect of her life and how events would play out nothing put a smile on Junko's face than despair and when something unexpected and exciting she did not foresee happens.

"Let's face it Yasuke has grown dull I mean ever since his mommy died, he has been eating out of my hand," Junko said with dismissive hand gestures. "Even when he was against my plans he still followed me out of some misguided sense of loyalty and love he doesn't capture my interest like Lelouch does. His rage has been itching to get loose, and I am providing a chance for him to do so here. If he wins, I am hoping that having tasted the blood of putting down people who deserve their death will push him to begin his war against Britannia."

"And when he does act to destroy Britannia he will likely do whatever it takes?"

"Exactly, because just look at me." Junko said, pointing both index fingers at herself, "Do you know how amazing it is at what you can get done when you don't concern yourself with right and wrong."

"If Lelouch is similar then…" The blue haired teen said, letting her sentence trail off.

Junko grinned evilly.

"I'll spread the despair, and he'll spread war and chaos in his wake. We are like two peas in a pod!"

* * *

Unaware of the conversation taking place Lelouch had made his way to the archive, although it was risky coming out at night, Lelouch found another way of reaching the library, and he was making use of it. Of course, that was not all he did, and his plan for escaping was dependant on proper intelligence gathering. Once his plan was in place, Lelouch seized the opportunity and began investigating the archive room, although he didn't wholly believe Monokuma's claim about the legitimacy of the documents it was still worth checking out.

 _For someone able to abduct a member of the Knights of the Round I can't ignore the possibility,_ _and_ _there is a chance that someone else could use that same information to plot a murder._

As Lelouch explored the library, he noticed most of the books seemed to be mostly about murder mysteries and related crime stories which he presumed was likely meant to provide ideas and inspiration for the players. Lelouch entered the archive room where he found its shelves that lined the walls of the small room with case files and black folders containing copies of confidential information and police reports.

 _I better not linger long, so I better go through these quickly._

Lucky for Lelouch the archive was well organized and each shelf was divided under specific categories, so Lelouch began his investigation of the "Unsolved Homicides" section looking at the titles of each police report until something caught his eye.

" _Genocide Jack: Investigation Report…CLASSIFIED"_

Lelouch took the file deciding to give it a look over while he looked for a few more records to read in private.

 _I heard about this murder, although some sources call him Genocide Sho instead of Jack._

The former prince had hoped to maybe find something about Ultimate Despair, but he had already ruled out the likelihood of Monokuma leaving behind such information was zero. After seeing a few more files and records that caught his eye, Lelouch departed the library and made his way back into his room to go over the reports.

 _First, I need a shower…_

He felt tense and still feeling shaken up from the attempt on his life and needed a moment to unwind more appropriately, although he managed to take care of some critical components of his plan the young man felt something more was required otherwise he wouldn't be able to focus on the here and now.

The former prince glanced at the camera watching him before hurrying into the bathroom since it made him uncomfortable knowing he was being watched. He was mindful to avoid changing and always slipped into the bathroom whenever he needed to shower, but despite believing he had privacy in the bathroom, he was dead wrong as Junko instantly noticed that Lelouch had just gone into the shower.

* * *

"Nice so he is taking a shower," Junko exclaimed with a big smile much to Tsumugi's confusion.

"I thought the bathrooms didn't have cameras?"

"Nope, but Lelouch's does," The Ultimate Despair answered with a big smile before winking upon which she added, "hidden ones in his shower."

Tsumugi's cheeks turned a slight shade of red upon which Junko turned on the cameras in the shower, eager for Lelouch to step into the stall once he was done undressing.

The blue haired woman raised an eyebrow as she began to suspect something else based on their previous conversation earlier. "Has this influenced your decision to _focus_ more on Lelouch?"

"Not as much as you might think. I mean, sure Lelouch is skinny but, "Junko began chuckling with a twisted, perverted smile on her face, "well, let's just say he makes up for it and it is something I can safely say he probably inherited that from his dad."

Miss Shirogane thought it might be best not to pursue that line of questioning further, but she did inquire.

"Are you fine with me watching this?"

"Oh, don't worry, I won't mind, because if I am in a good mood. I might even let you and Lelouch join in on the action to have ourselves one hell of a threesome," Junko said with a devious grin, which surprised and didn't surprise Tsumugi at the same time. She didn't voice an objection to it, but it was a further sign that Junko Enoshima was likely a bisexual, a depraved bisexual.

Junko held onto her virginity saving it for Lelouch because if they were to ever become sexually intimate and if the former prince noticed she wasn't a virgin he might grow distrustful of her. It was a fact that Tsumugi knew that Junko was more than aware of.

"Besides, even if he refuses the idea he is a male high school student. Once I get him in bed give me some time, and I am sure I can get him to be more…open to the idea of a threesome, hell, maybe I could get him to make his own harem for some real kinky fun. I am sure people would love that." Junko said, but Tsumugi had a strange feeling that last part wasn't directed at her.

The Ultimate Despair knew that Lelouch because of his experience with the Britannian Royal Family he would be against the idea of a harem in any shape or form. The fact that Lelouch was distrustful and suspicious of others didn't help, which was one of the critical reasons Junko had become so interested and fascinated with Lelouch.

 _Unlike Mukuro and Yasuke who I manipulated to the point of making them pawns who will eat up whatever I give them Lelouch is stubborn, prideful as hell and someone who either wants things done his way or the highway. There would be no way I could manipulate him as effortlessly as Mukuro and Yasuke._

That was precisely the key reason why she felt so attracted to him. Even if she became his lover, Junko knew she could never fully control him, which was fine for her because he would become boring if she could. She could influence some things, but possessing the same level of the hold she had on Mukuro and others was unlikely.

It would make everything much more interesting in the long run, but of course, since despair was her fetish in life Junko Enoshima would likely kill Lelouch one day to experience the despair of murdering the one she loved. After all, what better way to bring despair that the royal family being wiped out with the knowledge that one of their own brought them down and the whole empire with them.

All that depended on the fact if Lelouch could survive her killing game.

 _Come on Lelouch don't let me down… defy my expectations and win like you always do._

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater (02)**

Monokuma was dressed in a white space suit with a fishbowl top, allowing his head to be easily seen. He was sitting on the ground on the moon by the Britannia Moon Landing site where many years ago Britannia had managed to land a man on the moon before Charles vi Britannia's rise to power as the next Emperor. Behind Monokuma was an iron-maiden capsule designed in his image and modified to double as a rocket capsule had landed a distance behind the two-tone bear.

Monokuma was quietly, looking at the Earth in the distance before beginning to speak.

"The Moon," Monokuma began, "decades ago a dozen astronauts used a computer no more powerful than a pocket calculator to land here. They had guts back in the day."

The bear's red eye flashed bright red.

"Little did they realize that going home that one-day dipshits back on Earth, especially those from outside Britannia, would use devices millions of times more powerful to go online and claimed it never happened."

Monokuma began to stand up, but as he did so, he picked up a moon rock which he started inspecting once the bear was standing.

"It kinda makes you want to give up on all of your dreams doesn't it?" Monokuma said before tossing the rock, "Despair punks, it's all about despair."

* * *

A/N:

 **Survivors Remaining: 09**

This chapter ended up being much longer than I had planned and I wasn't even going to kill anyone as I intended for this chapter to be more of an intermission before the next murder. I thought it was a good time to introduce the children who will become the Warriors of Hope. As well as some Hope's Peak Academy students who will become involved later in the story while at the same time providing a look into how the academy was handling Hojo's demise.

Decided to have an attempt on Lelouch's life in this one and being paranoid and knowing he might be killed because of his performance in the last trial turned out to be justified. But now he must step up his game, or he won't be as lucky next time. And what is his plan Lelouch is devising, well, I have left some hints in this chapter and some of the previous ones, and if you guys felt I left out some things, there is a reason for it.

I am also grateful for the suggestion of other pairings besides Lelouch.

Byakuya Togami and Kallen Kozuki… an exciting pairing choice, but one that will see them butting heads a lot, which nevertheless it would be one of those pairings to see play out regardless if it works or not.

But what about Toko (the author looks around almost expecting her to jump out of nowhere and attack him for suggesting something that wasn't Byakuya and Toko).

I did toy with the idea of Toko and Lelouch if only to create an in story joke where Lelouch tends to attract the "crazy ones" lol.

Makoto and Kyoko might happen, but I'll leave it open until they are introduced.

Mikan and Nagito might also happen too, but best to wait until they appear.

However, I wouldn't expect a harem in this story since any harem involving Junko comes with the danger of being killed by her just so she can experience their despair or even Lelouch's. Even if Junko didn't kill Lelouch anyone else involved may not be so fortunate, so it would best if a harem didn't happen if only for the sake of other characters not ending up killed to feed Junko's fetish.

Also, the discussion was designed to play up the Peeping Tom and Depraved Bisexual tropes related to Junko. Somehow I wouldn't put the idea of her having her own harem or even being part of one as something she might go for…I am not sure why…call it a gut feeling.

That and I rather have my story be judged by its other merits than it having a harem.

Lastly, I decided to repurpose some characters from Danganronpa V3 for the use of this story, and anyone familiar with the game will understand why I had to repurpose them for the story.

Tsumugi is going to be Junko's body double, and right now she is something of Junko's secretary and spy who keeps tabs on Yasuke.

Haven't quite decided on the other characters at this time, but if I need more characters for the story, I got no shortage of characters to work with/use.

Anyway, thanks in advance for reviews and thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 6 Exposure

A/N: thanks for the reviews and I will say I had some trouble with planning this chapter a bit, but after the bouncing the idea off of some authors I know I decided to go with it. I won't say any more to avoid spoilers. If by some chance anyone is offended by anything I do in the chapter I apologize as it's not intentional and I was struggling to keep it within the M rating…you'll see what I mean…enjoy.

02/11/18: chapter edited and cleaned up

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their_ _mind._ _"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

 **Exposure**

Lelouch stirred to the sound of the bell chime followed by the pre-recording of Monokuma appearing on the monitor hanging in his room.

"Good morning, everyone! It is now seven a.m. and nighttime is officially over! Time to rise and shine. Get ready to greet another beautiful day!"

The former prince's body felt tired, but he had work to do. He went about his regular morning routine of getting ready for the day, but before leaving for the dining hall, Lelouch went to all of the locations to collect the tape recorders he planted in hidden areas the night before. Before going to the library last night, Lelouch grabbed some spare tape recorders from the Multimedia Room. Despite having proven how useful they were, no one had taken any more of them, which Lelouch was thankful for as he found another use for them that would be essential to his plan.

He ate his breakfast in his room eating from one of the canned foods he brought from the kitchen, but at the same time, Lelouch was playing one of the tape recorders fast forwarding until he heard some dialog and listened to it. Given where he had placed these tape recorders there was mostly silence, so he didn't have much dialog to search through while some recorders had nothing at all but some background noise.

Two pieces of dialog on two recorders caught his attention, which brought a smile to his face. However, the third portion of dialog from a third recorder and noise brought more information than he wanted and something else that unsettled him.

In the end, there were some very concerning sounds that something had happened, which made Lelouch recognize that he needed to get to the dining hall now because he knew something had happened last night. He arrived late as usual since the word was getting around; he pushed a dresser to block off his door at night as part of an extra means of protection if not slightly paranoid. He deposited his use utensils in the kitchen and dumped the used can and water bottle before sitting down at one of the tables in the cafeteria hall.

No one seemed to notice or care about his presence, but that suited Lelouch just fine, however, he was concerned about how he would handle what was coming without tipping his hand to reveal his plans. On the other hand, this would give him more time to finalize some details, but at the same time, he was deeply concerned.

 _There is still time, but in the meantime, I have to play up the innocent party. It's doubtful I would be named the culprit, but trying to steer events will not be easy._

Lelouch had another drink of water from a sealed water bottle, but as expected, and he suspected this would happen, the video monitors turned on displaying Monokuma's face after the familiar bell tone echoed through the room.

"Attention all players, a certain dormitory room has been unlocked for investigation purposes. I encourage all of you to investigate it." Monokuma spoke before the monitor displayed only static before going dark again.

Lelouch began scanning the room as did the others trying to take a quick headcount of everyone who was present, so it wasn't long to determine the one missing whose room was likely unlocked.

 _Gao Hài…_

"It seems another murder has taken place," Bradley said calmly, but his smile was unsettling.

"Already," Haiji exclaimed as his expression was between panic and frustration, "it's been barely forty-eight hours since the last one and not even twenty-four hours from the attempt that happened yesterday."

"Those events probably drove someone else to murder to escape before the said person got killed themselves." Mrs. Stadtfeld pointed out logically.

"Wouldn't have made a difference since I am sure it was only a matter of time before Monokuma used something else to drive someone to murder," Kewell said agreeing with the woman.

"We need to get the hell out of here!" Yuuma Utsugi said as she started shaking while holding her shoulders.

"Did you forget as long as we have these," Kusakabe said while holding up his arm with his bracelet, "we can't go anywhere without these killing us!"

Lelouch quietly observed, but this gave his mind some time to plan and work to steer events in his favor which would be critical to his own plan.

Eventually, everyone left to begin checking the dormitory rooms one by one, but they all suspected Gao Hài was likely the room Monokuma wanted them to investigate, so they started with his living quarters first. Unsurprisingly the door was unlocked so when they opened it they were still shocked by the scene within even as they braced themselves for what had most likely had taken place. Lying on his bed was the ambassador whose open eyes indicated that he was dead, but the lack of blood was a visible sign that whatever killed him was likely through suffocation. This was reinforced by the state of the bed, but that only raised more questions.

"What the hell happened to him?" Haiji called out when everyone saw the state of Gao Hài's body, which prompted a particular announcement to begin playing following familiar bell sound.

"A body has been discovered," Monokuma announced as his visage appeared on one of the nearby monitors, "after some time a trial shall be held between the survivors after allowing an opportunity to investigate the murder."

Everyone was confused, but Lelouch knew what happened. His challenge was to make everyone see that and reach that same conclusion without revealing how he knew about it.

A notification was heard from their electronic devices indicating they had just received the Monokuma file providing information on the murder. Lelouch brought out the small device and began reviewing the information available to them.

" _Name: Gao Hài, estimated time of death is around four a.m. The primary cause of death was suffocation. No other injuries or foreign substances detected."_

"Yet looking at the bed, he must've fought back?" Kewell muttered as Lelouch stepped closer to the bed, but Bradley was looking at it differently.

"It's strange he would've let someone in because he should have realized the potential folly in such a foolish action."

"But according to the file he had no other injuries, so was there really a struggle?" Lelouch commented although he knew what had transpired.

"Yes, if a struggle had taken place, why the room between the door and the bed is untouched, and he had no bruises or scratches on him."

"His robes look loose," Kusakabe noted, "Compared to the last time I saw him these robes look loosely held together. As they are now, they could probably fall off of him. Could that be a sign of a struggle?"

"No otherwise, these robes shouldn't have been torn apart. It looks like someone struggled with clothes as if someone was trying to cover up something, but why?" Lelouch said, looking genuinely as confused as possible. "Covering up an injury can't be the reason?"

Bradley was suspicious, but not of Lelouch, so he began examining the body before noticing something as he started checking around the torso looking for something the killer might have hidden.

"A High Eunuch is supposed to be without his equipment I am right?" Bradley said, realizing what had truly transpired and it explained the condition of the bed including why the High Eunuch had been dressed up despite it must've been difficult. "I think we narrowed down our suspects to a woman."

"What makes you say that?" Kewell asked.

"This," Bradley replied before stripping Gao Hài of his robes revealing a surprising fact. "To become a High Eunuch you have to be castrated, so why has this one been able to skip out on that step?"

"Impossible, High Eunuchs were formed from high-ranking civil servants," Lelouch began before explaining, "Originally they began as advisors to the Emperor or Empress of the Chinese Federation, but in the last decade they have gained more power and influence. When a new High Eunuch is appointed, they must be castrated to prevent them from having children so they wouldn't be tempted to seize power and start a dynasty with a member of the royal family."

"I heard they were more reliable than other scholarly and military officials in the past within the federation, but in the last decade, their influence and power has corrupted them obviously. When they inducted Gao Hài as a new High Eunuch, they must have somehow arranged or faked his castration as part of some kind of plan."

"Oh, I see," Bradley said with a sinister smile, "the current Empress is a young girl. She is a bit young, but I have a feeling once she was older Gao Hài might've been part of a plan for the High Eunuchs to gain complete power by creating a royal line they could control directly."

"How could they keep such a secret?" Lelouch said, but he knew that if anyone had found out about something like this the former prince was sure this wouldn't have gone over well with others within the Chinese Federation.

"Perhaps that was the real reason he was sent to Area 11?" Bradley said with a thoughtful expression on his face before he continued. "Send him far away from anyone who opposed the High Eunuchs and near people loyal to you allowing them to know the secret. It's no secret to even the Emperor that the people and even members within their own government have been growing increasingly dissatisfied with the increasing power and influence the High Eunuchs have amassed reducing the current Empress to a figurehead ruler."

"I see, and if the Empress bore a child, then questions would begin flying about who the father was? No one would likely suspect the High Eunuchs, and if they wanted to…no," Lelouch said before correcting himself at the end, "They would use it to frame and implicate the Empress's strongest supporter and use it against their enemies. Then they would have a bloodline claim to the throne through Gao Hài, and they wouldn't need to publicly reveal it. They could even arrange for the Empress to die during the confusion and scandal to silence any lingering opposition, allowing them to raise the heir apparent however they want."

"That could very well be their plan, but still it would be hazardous for him to seek the company of a woman even if you are in a different country as the ambassador," Kewell said in agreement, but the only part that seemed questionable was why Gao Hài would risk exposure like this.

"The High Eunuchs have been amassing more power and wealth for themselves. It's possible Gao Hài might be getting too greedy and overconfident that he could keep his own secret safe," Kusakabe added although it came from a member of the JLF no one argued which was due to the fact his logical was reasonable, so there was no reason for an argument against it.

"Yes, a claim would be difficult to prove without some serious and concrete evidence," Lelouch said in agreement before deciding to inspect the surveillance camera in the room. "The rules prohibit us from destroying them, but I wonder…"

Pulling a chair closer, Lelouch climbed onto the chair to examine the camera before discovering a piece of tape left on top of the camera itself.

"Before whatever encounter had taken place last night they made sure to cover the camera with likely a piece of paper or plastic with paper in it."

"But shouldn't blocking the cameras have incurred Monokuma's wrath?" Kewell asked, prompting an appearance from the two-tone bear in question.

"Well, someone here is using their head," Monokuma said, surprising the group as they noticed Monokuma was present in the room with them. "Normally I would punish them, but I had a hidden camera in here still recording so I still saw everything."

"I see, so was the hidden camera installed because you knew about Gao Hài's secret?" Lelouch asked with his arms folded over his chest after he climbed down from the chair. "I assume it was the secret you were blackmailing him for right?"

Monokuma titled his head to one side for a moment before answering, "Maybe, but since you did figure it out I'll tell you Gao Hài and his killer got really personal last night upupupu!"

"So our killer would have to be Yuuma or Mrs. Stadtfeld?" Kusakabe pointed out, but Kewell seemed doubtful a woman of nobility would sleep with the ambassador of the Chinese Federation.

"I can't imagine the wife of Lord Stadtfeld would be involved in an affair with a foreign ambassador."

"Hard to imagine the widow of a former dentist and the mother of a popular child star would be as well." Kusakabe countered.

"You both have a fair point," Haiji said joining the conversation. "The only to figure out which of them committed the murder would be to determine who Gao Hài would've met and could've had a secret affair with."

"I agree," Lelouch said before a possible argument could break out. "We could spend all day going back and forth on this, and we would still be at square one."

No one tried to argue the point further.

"Then we'll need further evidence before we can prove our suspicions," Lelouch said, glancing at the doorway while looking for signs of Mrs. Stadtfeld or Yuuma. Lelouch saw no sign of them, which only raised questions if one of them was guilty.

"Well, perhaps there might be a way to possibly prove the mother of the child star could be more of a suspect than Lady Stadtfeld." Black King offered as he walked into the room.

"How so?" Lelouch asked as the others in his company seemed interested as well.

"I am sure you gentlemen know how difficult it is for a non-Britannian actress to find employment even if they were successful?" The obese Britannian gangster began with a dark smile as Lelouch felt uneasiness in his stomach as the unpleasant realization dawned on him where this discussion was heading.

Thinking about it further, he felt sick to his stomach while anger began to surge within.

"I know even among Britannian audiences her daughter has been surprisingly popular. On the other hand, producers don't typically work with non-Britannians no matter how popular they might be," Kewell noted. His statement was correct, although the movie and television industry of Britannia did employ non-Britannians as extras and to increase the accuracy of a movie based off of historical events that happened in a different part of the world.

But rarely did one ever become a star since Britannian actors usually wore heavy makeup, a mask or used computer effects to alter themselves to look more like the local populace if the movie was being filmed and based off events in another country for the sake of being accurate. Even though Lelouch had heard Kotoko Utsugi, because his little sister liked the shows she was in, he didn't think much about her success.

Or maybe a part of him unconsciously knew the truth.

At that moment another unpleasant thought came to mind that sent a chill down Lelouch's spine.

 _D-don't tell me her own mother…_

"To ensure her daughter's success, her own mother prostituted her daughter to producers where she was repeatedly raped by them." The Black King explained before adding with a sadistic smile, "Her own mother even went as far as prostituting herself alongside her daughter as a _mother and daughter set._ "

The revelation that someone would put a young girl through that caused Lelouch's stomach to twist and turn in more ways than one. The horrors he had seen during the war between Japan and Britannia had hardened him, but there were still some things that could sicken Lelouch. What he had just learned was one of those things, but unfortunately for the Black King any possible reluctance, he might've had was all but evaporated.

 _As unpleasant that revelation is you have to focus on the task before you._ Lelouch mentally reminded himself as he did have a job ahead of him that needed his full attention.

Lelouch focused on looking for evidence as he knew he would need to prove who killed Gao Hai, although they knew it was likely a woman they still needed to narrow it down.

Even though a part of him wouldn't have any problems condemning Yuuma to her death, Lelouch wasn't convinced she was the one who did it. Even though he knew who did it, Lelouch couldn't see how she and Gao Hai could've had a late night rendezvous.

 _Given his secret, it's obvious Gao Hài wouldn't have slept with any woman, but someone who knew the value of keeping secrets and would have a lot to lose if their relationship was found out._

The murder had to be someone Gao Hài knew before the Killing Game, but the more Lelouch thought about it he wasn't convinced Yuuma was the murder. This presented a problem though as far as Lelouch was concerned; he feared that he wouldn't find any evidence to tip the trial in his favor, although he continued to search for clues just to be sure.

 _Unless I find something,_ _I_ _might have to create a slip of the tongue situation to create an opening._

The former prince left no stone unturned and began checking the bed including underneath the bed itself for any clues.

 _I know who did it, but…_

Even though he found it, unlike Yuuma could've known the ambassador of the Chinese Federation there was a question then how could Mrs. Stadtfeld know Gao Hài. She did have a higher chance of meeting him more so than the wife of both a dentist and the mother of a famous child star. Lelouch knew infidelity wasn't uncommon among members of the nobility. The lords and male members of noble households had done so more often the case of a woman cheating on her husband of noble status was rare because they had much more to lose. Especially if they accidentally sired a child with someone else other than their husband since it would give them a way to divorce their current wife easily without consequences.

 _No one would've suspected Gao Hài of sleeping with the wife of a noble, but wouldn't the risk of him getting her pregnant could've been a problem?_

Something wasn't adding up, and Lelouch was confident that could be the key for the trial that led ahead. Even though Lelouch assumed if Mrs. Stadtfeld was having an affair with Gao Hài then shouldn't have someone being suspicious of her regardless if she took precautions to prevent an accidental pregnancy since that would've seen her stripped of her status and cast out from both her family and the Stadtfeld Family.

 _I know someone of Mrs. Stadtfeld status cheating on her husband isn't anything new, but why would she have an affair with Gao Hài, a foreigner,_ _and_ _an ambassador?_ _Couldn't it_ _have been a one night stand?_

Lelouch knew relationships between a Britannian of noble birth and a non-Britannian was looked down upon and was a guaranteed way to lose their status. The only exception to this was if the non-Britannian was a person of high social standing or a member of royalty from another country. Thinking about it more carefully Lelouch remembered something he overheard from Miss Lohmeyer before she was murdered gave the young man an idea.

 _There might be something I could use, but that will be a risky gamble._

* * *

As Lelouch continued the search for clues, he was quietly observed by Junko, who was delighted with this latest turn of events. Even though there was an apparent lack of despair from the players, but Junko credited that problem to a lack of connection between them. Since giving the people she had collected hostility and distrust was to be expected, but at the same time if they died horribly it wouldn't provide enough despair.

Junko made a note of this along with other observations on how to _improve_ the next Killing Game she was planning in the future.

On a side note, she was pleased to hear from Mukuro that Tsumugi was going a perfect job of cosplaying as her thanks to the colored contacts and voice changer, she was using that made her into the ideal body double. No one could tell the difference between them, which gave Junko more time to observe and host the current killing game.

 _I got to thank Hope's Peak Academy for having a lax attendance system._

Unlike most school attending class wasn't mandatory at Hope's Peak Academy. The only thing students were required to do was hone their talent and take an exam. As long as they don't fall below average, they will continue to remain enrolled at the school, but if a student fails the exam, they would be dismissed from the school.

Thanks to the rule regarding attendance it easier for Tsumugi to set time aside to impersonate Junko.

A big toothy grin spread across Junko's face as she was fully aware of the fact that Lelouch knew who it was as well as she did, but unlike Lelouch, she knew how and why Gao Hài had entered into a secret relationship with his killer. She was very curious to watch how Lelouch would handle the trial ahead of the group.

As she waited Junko was already preparing the video she would broadcast to Britannia and the Chinese Federation. At the same time, she made sure to include footage of the killer and Gao Hài enjoying some passionate lovemaking she got off of the hidden camera. Of course, that wasn't the only proof she had planned on presenting to the people to reveal Gao Hài was only a High Eunuch in name only. All she needed was the video of the class trial, and if things go according to Lelouch's plan, then she would just need to add the execution video of his killer.

 _This will be_ _a real_ _political bomb in more ways than one, and I can't wait to drop it._

* * *

Following what appeared to be fruitless searching Lelouch couldn't help, but admit that Gao Hai's killer had done a thorough job in cleaning the crime scene as there were almost no other clues.

 _Well…almost…_

He found a clue, but Lelouch wasn't confident it would be enough. However, it was better than anything else right now since he didn't see any else that could be helpful. Of course, the lack of evidence did open up another possibility.

It wasn't long before a familiar chime rang through the air.

*Ding dong, bing bong*

On the nearest monitor, Lelouch saw Monokuma's visage appear.

"Erm, so ah…I am getting tired of waiting. Why don't we just plunge right in? It's the moment you have all been waiting for the trial! You all remember where to meet right? It's the red door on the first floor." Monokuma announced before chuckling, "I'll see you all soon."

Lelouch was among the first to arrive at the elevator, and one by one everyone else showed up, but before he had come to the trial room, he did bring along the tape recorder containing the evidence that would prove who the murder was without a doubt. He had hoped it wouldn't come to it, but he couldn't afford to die here, so he brought it as a worst-case scenario contingency plan.

The elevator ride down to the trial room was silent, but upon arrival, they noticed the décor of the room had been changed. The walls had been replaced with pink wallpaper and had cartoon-style shapes imprinted on them while the ceiling had a chandelier with golden bears holding a light bulb on the walls around the room. The monitors and everything else regarding the room were still the same as last time except the new portraits of everyone who was dead filling their former place in the trial room.

Once everyone was in position the trial began.

"Now for a quick refresher," Monokuma began, "Your votes at the end will determine your fate. If you vote correctly and identify who killed Gao Hài, then you'll live, and I'll punish the blackened. However, if you vote incorrectly I'll punish everyone, but the blackened. Then he or she will win the game and will get to walk out of here."

"Right," Kewell said, taking the lead, "let's get started. I suggest we begin by discussing the exact method of how Gao Hài was killed."

"I think it's obvious, but it is a good starting point." The Black King commented.

"I agree, and it would be good for everyone who didn't examine the crime scene with us," Lelouch said in agreement. "We know about the state of the bed and Gao Hai that his killer was a woman who engaged in some…" the former prince began before taking a moment to choose his words carefully, "sexual intercourse. This was likely done to get the victim to lower his guard and exhausted from their evening together left him dangerously vulnerable where the killer smothered him with a pillow."

"That is consistent with the cause of death," Kewell said in agreement as no one saw any reason to dispute what Lelouch revealed. "Even so I can't imagine Gao Hài allowing any woman to sleep with him since he would've had a lot to lose if word of his secret got out."

"I concur with that as well," Bradley said, before adding, "Whoever killed him must be someone who was having a secret affair with the ambassador that no one knew about before this game began."

"The limited evidence and everything that happened reinforces that," Lelouch commented in agreement before he added something else for everyone to consider, "but somehow I suspect Gao Hài might've been planning to murder his own lover to cover both his secret and to provide a means for him to escape the game. Since its only obvious one person will get to leave here alive, I became suspicious and did a search around his room finding this."

Lelouch drew a brown bottle from his pocket with a white label bearing Monokuma's emblem with two bones crossed over each other below it.

"This came from the chemical lab and from the label and what I had learned it is a special poison Monokuma provided that is so potent that once consumed death is virtually instant," Lelouch explained before Kusakabe realized something.

"Did he plan on poisoning her?"

"Yes, I think it's more likely that Gao Hài had planned on killing his own lover because being a High Eunuch it would've provided a potentially good alibi for him. Unfortunately, it seems his lover had the same idea, but her method was more direct. She likely suspected that Gao Hài had intended to kill her. He likely had poisoned the champagne bottle or whatever drink he had brought for them to share," Lelouch explained while lightly shaking the bottle trying to reveal that half of its contents had been used. "We can assume his killer disposed of the drinks, but if Gao Hai's plan succeeded all he would've needed to do is take her body back to her room using her own key and then walk away. Not a full proof plan, but deducing him as the killer would've been difficult."

"So what does that detail tell us?" Haiji asked sounding almost impatient.

"It means if they were so willing to kill one another. Then that tells us that the relationship between our killer and Gao Hài clearly wasn't one of love, but convenience with each of them to benefit in some way. The killer is the one who would've benefited most from her relationship with Gao Hài." Lelouch explained.

"But wouldn't Yuuma be the likely candidate? We know her husband was working with the Britannians to catch those providing funds and weapons to the resistance groups?" Mrs. Stadtfeld said pointing the finger at the Japanese woman who seemed shocked.

"I…I never slept with that man before!"

"I highly doubt Yuuma, and Gao Hài had any kind of relationship," Lelouch said sharply, "although I wouldn't doubt the possibility of it happening despite information the Black King shared with us earlier. However, I don't see how Yuuma and Gao Hài having an affair would've benefited either of them. In fact, considering something I remembered before Miss Lohmeyer was killed, I think the relationship with benefits was merely one benefit of your relationship with Gao Hài…isn't that right Lady Stadtfeld."

"What?!" Mrs. Stadtfeld exclaimed as Lelouch saw the anger on her face.

"You are the wife of one of Area 11's most prominent nobles who possessed considerable influence, although I doubt he would've had you sleep with a diplomat I wonder what you were planning. Given the international shipping and transport businesses he controls which included the Chinese Federation through the Far East Exchange Center." Lelouch explained having been familiar with each of Area 11's noble families, more specifically those who stood closer to the top above all of the minor ones, so it shouldn't surprise anyone he would know about the Stadtfeld Family especially since he planned to one day bring Britannia to its knees. "I imagine your family must've been profiting well already so I can't see much reason for your affair with Gao Hài unless perhaps were seeking more power and influence for yourself or were you arranging for your daughter to be married off."

Lelouch's efforts to provoke Mrs. Stadtfeld's anger seemed to be working as he continued to stir her hatred, although it was a risky gamble it was Lelouch's only chance to expose her. What she did afterward would determine the way this trial would go, and he prayed he wouldn't have to resort to using the tape recorder.

The tape had a reordering, which was the absolute proof that Mrs. Stadtfeld had murdered Gao Hài.

"Your daughter is quite lovely, so I assume you are looking to benefit from such a marriage!"

"THAT GIRL ISN'T MINE!" Mrs. Stadtfeld roared as her anger hit its peak just as Lelouch was hoping. "The only reason that pathetic excuse of a husband married me was so that he could fool everyone into thinking she was my daughter and hide the fact she is half-blood and the daughter of that fifthly eleven whore he keeps around as a maid!"

"I see so this means you can't have children," Lelouch said as he continued to push the woman's buttons. He knew among noble families that if a daughter were incapable of bearing children, they would be cast out upon discovery. After all, if a noble had a daughter incapable of having children, then she would be worthless to the family since they couldn't marry her off to further their own status. It was cruel, yes, but that was how Britannia was for a country built on the ideals of Social Darwinism. "Something like that would be problematic for a daughter from a noble household, although as a benefit you could have an affair with anyone who wanted without fear of ever getting caught."

"Don't call me a whore brat…I do what I must to get ahead."

"Is that why you were aquatinted with Miss Lohmeyer, and I assume she knew about your secret? I found it odd she would entrust you with her secret activities like that unless you were somehow involved in them yourself. You've must have been meeting Gao Hài under the pretense of meeting with the ambassador on your husband's behalf. I don't know what the deal was, but Britannia possessing knowledge of Gao Hài despite his title not being a Eunuch would've been an instrumental piece of blackmail material. In exchange, you would've obtained a higher title among the nobility right?"

"So what if that was the deal? I told you I would do anything to get ahead even if it meant killing that sleazy bastard. He wanted to cut a deal with Britannia and revealed his secret to me to protect his own pathetic hide in the event the other High Eunuchs wanted to scapegoat him."

"Thank you very much," Lelouch said with a smile, "I rest my case."

Mrs. Stadtfeld looked confused for a moment before she realized to her horror her fatal mistake.

Bradley was applauding Lelouch while laughing at Mrs. Stadtfeld's misfortune. "Well done, you were hoping for that. You gave her the shovel to dig her own grave."

"You were trying to draw a slip of the tongue from the killer by provoking her anger like that," Haiji noted with a grin.

"She was my target from the start as there was no one else who could've benefited from a relationship with Gao Hài," Lelouch explained. "I highly doubt Yuuma would've benefited even if furthering her daughter's career was the goal, but ambassadors don't have a say in the entertainment industry in Britannia, and the Chinese Federation doesn't allow any shows except worldwide news broadcasts and announcements from being shown within their territory."

"That is true and with no other women left among us that narrowed the list of potential suspects way down," Kewell said, agreeing that Mrs. Stadtfeld was the killer based on the evidence coupled with the unknowing confession he got out of her.

"She might've pulled it off if there were other women to cast suspicion on, but as the young man said no one else would've benefited between the two who remained," Kusuabke noted as he was in agreement.

"Well, that was disappointingly short," Monokuma said with a bored expression, "but I guess you fucked up…literally."

"I think we're done," Lelouch said as he crossed both arms over his chest.

"Ditto so why don't we start everyone's favorite voting time?"

Everyone cast their vote except for Mrs. Stadtfeld who was still in shock from having unknowingly exposed herself as Gao Hai's killer. However, it was still a majority vote that rules and more than enough had voted for Mrs. Stadtfeld to be revealed as the killer.

A selection everyone unsurprisingly was correct about.

"YAHOO!" Monokuma cheered, "that's right, the wife of Lord Stadtfeld who couldn't bear a child was the killer. You guys are on a roll!"

"This could've ended differently if you allowed Gao Hài to kill you, but really killing him sooner would've given you others to hide behind." Bradley mocked with a dark smile.

"I…I…" Mrs. Stadtfeld said as her shaky words indicated she was on the verge of a complete breakdown. "I refuse to die like this…I…refuse…"

"Your career as a man-eater was very short lived wasn't it, but you got caught, so it's everyone's favorite time. So why don't we give it everything we got…IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!"

At last the blonde haired woman cried out in terror as Monokuma's pedestal was raised before him, allowing the two-tone bear to hit the button with his signature hammer prompting the familiar words on the monitors coupled with a Monokuma sprite began dragging away a sprite of Mrs. Stadtfeld at the same time those words appeared.

* * *

 **GAME OVER**

 **Lady Stadtfeld has been found guilty**

 **Time for the punishment!**

* * *

A trap door opened up below her feet before Mrs. Stadtfeld fell through the curving slide to the execution that awaited her. She landed in what appeared to be an ordinary living room of a house with white wallpaper, a dresser, a coffee table, and sofa. The appearance of the room was more suitable for being a television show set seen on those family sitcoms, which was likely the intent.

* * *

 **Execution: Highway to Hell**

* * *

Suddenly the sound of a chainsaw revving up could be heard before Monokuma began cutting his way through the door wearing a white hockey mask. When Mrs. Stadtfeld caught sight of the chainsaw-wielding Monokuma, she bolted for the nearest exit, leaving the house to see she was inside some kind of housing community. Just like the house, it was also based on a television show set, so it was fake if one took a close enough look at the houses. It was contained within some kind of indoor studio, but beyond that, no one could tell if this was all part of an underground facility or something else.

The only thing that seemed real was an old sports car with a white and black color identical to Monokuma parked in the driveway. Eager for a chance to escape Mrs. Stadtfeld jumped into the car where she found the keys in the ignition. Just as Monokuma hurried out the door with a chainsaw in hand, the blonde haired woman turned on the engine before driving off down the street of the neighborhood set looking for a way out. She followed the road until it crossed a large-scale television show set on a highway with various cameras mounted around the highway as well as catwalks for cameramen to record high-speed chase scenes.

She was driving down the road, but suddenly the car accelerated over hundred miles an hour, and it was still climbing. Mrs. Stadtfeld tried to slow the vehicle down but found to her horror as the blood drained from her face that she no longer possessed any control over the car. On one of the catwalks overlooking the highway, the blonde haired woman saw Monokuma sitting there working a small handheld remote control and next to him was a monitor providing him with live dash camera footage from the car. Even though getting out of the car would surely kill her Mrs. Stadtfeld attempted to bail out of the car but found that the doors wouldn't unlock either.

Monokuma began laughing as he started to steer the car into various cardboard cutouts of people and vehicles around the road, but the car didn't slow down but only slightly when Monokuma crashed into something or made a quick change of direction towards an object. After they were through the obstacles, the car continued to accelerate reaching speeds of one hundred and eighty miles an hour, but Mrs. Stadtfeld began screaming when she saw the end of the highway.

Pushing a button on the remote control Monokuma triggered a set of rockets built into the back of the speeding car that had been concealed. The vehicle experienced a sudden jump in speed before hitting a small ramp at the end of the highway propelling the speeding car into the air. The car flew through the air about twenty feet before the vehicle tipped forward with a screaming Mrs. Stadtfeld right before it hit the ground front first followed up by flipping over three times, breaking off parts of the crashing vehicle as it did while the rockets were still firing. It came to a halt after flipping over six more times, leaving the car misshapen and wholly wrecked with the roof crushed and the front end almost completely broken apart.

Monokuma, on the other hand, was clearly disappointed the car didn't reach the other side of the jump where painted on the wall at the other end was a bullseye.

With a disappointed sigh, Monokuma pushed another switch on the remote causing a bomb planted within the car to explode engulfing it in a giant fireball. If the crash didn't kill Mrs. Stadtfeld initially, then the explosive finished her off.

* * *

Back in the courtroom as soon as the execution was over Monokuma reappeared laughing like manic.

"When you live the high life, not caring about who you run down to enjoy that ride, even more, you'll only crash and burn in the end!"

As Monokuma continued to indulge itself in jubilant laughter Lelouch took around in the room at who was left; Haiji, Bradley, Kewell, Kusakabe, the Black King, and Yuuma including himself.

 _Including me, that counts seven of us left…a lucky, but for us_ _an unlucky_ _number. Bradley will make a move now at this point since he now has fewer people he would need to deceive._

Meanwhile, Junko, on the other hand, was already putting the final touches on the video she was going to broadcast to Area 11, the rest of Britannia and by extension the Chinese Federation. Of course, as a toothy grin appeared on her face the broadcast wasn't the only thing she had planned.

* * *

Two hours later as it was early afternoon just outside the Toyko Concession Park, where a concert was taking place a group of people had gathered, including some media news crews who were recording the event live and broadcasting across Area 11. Among those in attendance was a young teenager with dark red hair styled into a bobbed-cut, green eyes and a pale complexion with light freckles across her cheeks. Her uniform was the standard Hope's Peak Academy for female students, but she wore black knee-length socks with matching shoes.

Aside from holding her favorite SLR camera, Mahiru Koizumi was taking photos of the concert and people who were clearly enjoying themselves, but she wasn't alone as another girl stood with her.

Identical to the uniform Mahiru wore, the girl accompanying her wore her school uniform differently as she included a brown vest with her dress shirt. She also wore a pair of black thighs that reached past her knees, a brown hairband with a black four-leaf clover, and brown loafers. Sonia Nevermind was a tall, young woman with long blonde hair, pale skin, and green eyes. All in all, no one would think at first glance that she was attending Hope's Peak Academy as a foreign exchange student with the title of Ultimate Princess and the heir to the Kingdom of Novoselic.

"Not quite as big as the advertisements made it out to be, but still I am so excited to be at my first music concert…" Sonia exclaimed with a bright expression. Due to her somewhat sheltered upbringing, Sonia hadn't experienced much beyond what was expected of her, so she traveled to Japan to experience more of the world. Even though the concert itself wasn't quite as big, it still had an estimated one hundred attendances and not counting the reporters and the television network crews.

"I think it's important for people to enjoy themselves than an event being a huge gathering. Besides, with so many people it would feel kinda cramped for some?" Mahiru pointed out while looking for an excellent opportunity for another photo.

"I suppose, but…"

Suddenly, what was a happy event was ruined when a corpse tied to a rope was dropped from the building directly behind the stage with a harness and rigging system in place to perfectly dangle the body over the stage while being suspended six feet in the air above the stage. The rigging system could be seen from the tenth floor of the building behind them, and the Ultimate Despair members who had dumped the body from above were already gone.

Gao Hài's naked corpse was hung on display for all to see including the remains of his face paint that remained, but his face was unmistakable even without the face paint markings worn by High Eunuchs. Mahiru tried to focus on the face of the corpse because for the apparent reason she didn't want to look at a dead man's unmentionables, but she wanted to confirm who it was and soon it was evident which group had hung the body up for display like this.

The concert's monitor flickered out, and soon the visage of Monokuma appeared.

"For those of you attending the clarity concert outside the Medort Corporate Office Building I am so sorry for ruining your lame concert, but I thought it was the perfect place to show you all a secret Gao Hài has been hiding." Monokuma explained as a live video feed displaying Gao Hài's corpse was hanging above the stage. "Upupupu, but tell me if he is supposed to be a High Eunuch then why is he still equipped? I mean that is a serious oversight don't you all think? Or maybe it was intentional like his fellow High Eunuchs had some plan to knock up the Empress with an heir they could raise from scratch. I wonder what they were thinking, but if you think I am not telling the truth, I got more proof."

On the monitor a photo of Mrs. Stadtfeld and Gao Hài in a rather _intimate_ embrace clearing doing something that should've been impossible for a High Eunuch.

"That's right; the wife of Lord Stadtfeld has been getting some from the High Eunuch in exchange for helping her climb that ladder of success especially since she was incapable of having children. Not to mention she got some good blackmail material for the Britannian Government." Monokuma said in a very mocking tone before asking with one hand raised to an ear. "What's that she isn't able to have children so how do they have a daughter?"

"It's not important, but it's obvious the girl had a different mother. I mean, let's face it Lord Stadtfeld just can't keep it in his pants so I wouldn't be surprised if he knocked up his own maid and she was the mother." The two-tone bear said before letting out another signature sadistic laugh as a website address was being flashed along the bottom of the screen. "Anyway, if you guys want the full video of their last night together before Lady Stadtfeld killed him by smothering him with a pillow you can find it online. Hell, it has probably gone viral by now so you should be able to find it easily."

A photo of Gao Hài being smoldered to death by a pillow held by Mrs. Stadtfeld was shown before suddenly the game over screen from the recent trial appeared.

"Now I can assure the Chinese Federation his killer has been punished since the remaining players managed to figure out what happened thanks in part to discovering his secret and narrowing down who it was since there were only two women left at the time. To be fair Gao Hài was planning on killing her with poison, but unfortunately for him, she got the drop on him first."

Now footage of Mrs. Stadtfeld's execution began playing.

"But she was always living life in the fast lane, so she finally crashed and burned!"

Once the execution had played Monokuma addressed a stunned and terrified Area 11.

"Seven players left and the Knight of Eleven is still hanging in there, but right now it's anyone's game!"

With a final laugh the broadcast ended, leaving behind a stunned Britannia, but in the Chinese Federation reactions were far different despite apparent attempts at denial. Unfortunately, Monokuma was through in making sure Gao Hài's secret would be out to the point that making any effort to deny it would only make things worse.

* * *

With a big smile on her face Junko was eagerly watching both the social message boards explode with news of what just happened and the view count of the video she had posted anonymously online had already reached five million views, and it was still climbing like to hit twenty million in the next hour. Even, Junko knew another killing would happen soon, although she liked how some of them were terrified, the lack of despair from them was very disappointing.

 _I'll just have to make up for it in the next one._

Around the same time inside his room, Lelouch was sitting in his chair drinking a soft drink. The former prince was strangely quiet, but after minutes of careful contemplation had passed Lelouch turned to the security camera.

"Monokuma…I want a word with you!"

A few seconds later Monokuma appeared.

"Speak, and he shall appear!" Monokuma exclaimed joyfully at his summons.

"I have a question for you."

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater:**

Monokuma was standing before a long table filled with various exotic foods while a white cloth napkin was draped over its left arm while wearing a red bow tie.

"So after seven chapters we got seven people left, although it didn't start until around chapter two but who cares. You guys just want to get to the good part right, so consider this Monokuma Theater a mere appetizer or hors D'oeuvre."

The two-tone bear gestured to the various plates of food laid out.

"Instead, why not think of me as a sauce, subtle yet persuasive," Monokuma said before adding more to his statement. "No meal of hope, friendship or youth is complete with my presence to add an exquisite tang of despair that lingers in your mouth for days."

With a bow to the reader, Monokuma concluded by saying.

"So come dine with me… it's all on the house. It's not like you have a choice anyway upupupu!"

* * *

A/N:

 **Survivors Remaining: 07**

Alright, this was a tough one, especially coming up with the execution for Kallen's stepmother. I thought about a trivial based one after a suggestion I got, but it seemed too similar to the first one. So I thought I try something a little different, so I hope it still captures what is suitable for her and her lifestyle and yet makes for a proper end for her.

But now we enter the final phase of the Prototype Killing Game, although it seems shorter than I had initially planned it's time for the last trial to begin next chapter. Bradley will make his move now that the number of people who could sentence him to death has decreased enough, but he needs a moment of opportunity still to avoid any murder being pegged on him. Let's face it given his reputation he knows he could easily be considered a suspect, but since Bradley has refrained from killing, he might have an excellent case to work with.

The poll I have on my profile page is still going, but I hope I can end it soon because there is another poll I need to put up. I have a clear first, second and third placeholder, but I need some tiebreakers for the first. The poll is to help me consider with the idea that if I do plan on killing any characters (regardless if they are Danganronpa characters or Code Geass characters since casualties are inevitable with this kind of set up.) to see who might be dearly missed more than others.

Those who lose the poll doesn't mean their deaths are inevitable either. The story will be the deciding factor for that one. I just need to know if I should consider avoiding it or take as a sign that I should handle it with particular caution to it if that makes sense.

Anyway, enough with the author notes I am working on the next chapter, and I am looking forward to your reviews, and I hope you'll love the next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7 Gorefest Conclusion

A disclaimer: The views in this story do not match those of the author, and furthermore, he apparently doesn't own Code Geass or Danganronpa.

A/N: A quick mention, I changed the last chapter a bit to swap out Sato for Sonia instead. Part of the reason I did that was that initially, I was planning for Lelouch to attend Class 77, but after some discussion, he will attend the 78th Class instead. Of course, I need to make some room for Lelouch later on when that time comes. I'll explain more at the end of the chapter.

You don't need to go back and re-read the whole chapter, but I wanted to mention the change.

Although I know Seiko, Ruruka, and her boyfriend are one year ahead of Class 77, I decided to make them the same year because there is much I can work with them on.

2/13/18: edited and cleaned up

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their_ _mind._ _"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

 **Gorefest Conclusion**

The next morning Junko Enoshima had taken special care to be up by seven a.m., and she went as far as bringing an energy drink with her after having a hearty breakfast. Tsumugi who had covered for her during the night had high hopes for today, having observed the scene of what had happened before Junko had retired for the night in an _excellent_ mood. She knew what had happened last night, and she was pleased with the outcome, but now she was eager to see everyone else discover what had transpired the night before.

 _This time the Blackened might actually get away with it._

This time, however, someone else was asked to join Junko for today's events as Monaca rolled into the control room before parking herself and by extension her wheelchair by Junko to observe upcoming events.

"So Big Sis Junko is today the day?" Monaca said with a bright smile that seemed reasonable for any happy child, but for Monaca Towa, it was a bad omen.

"Just watch and see, because I doubt it won't take long for everyone to find it."

Junko assumed control of Monokuma just in time for the morning announcement.

* * *

*Ding dong, bing bong*

"Good morning everyone, nighttime is officially over, and it is now 7 a.m.!" Monokuma announced as the automatic announcement began playing. "It is time to rise and shine. Get ready to greet another beautiful day!"

Everyone began to slowly stir, but among those who left their rooms first, Haiji and Yuuma passed by one another in the hallway heading for the cafeteria before finding a grisly sight no one could've expected. Lying on the ground just outside the Black King's room laid Kewell. Judging from how his body lay and the injury it was clear the cause of death was his throat being slashed open coupled with the pool of blood around his neck, but his back had what appeared to be two bullet holes.

Yuuma screamed as Haiji walked over to the body, but he noticed that the door leading into the Black King's room was open. It wasn't opened all the way, which was why it appeared closed at first glance, but enough for Haiji to push the door open the rest of the way where another bloody murder scene awaited him even if he didn't see it immediately. The room was dark save for an electric lamp sitting on the dresser by the door, so when the lights didn't turn on Haiji used the small electric lamp to explore the room. In the corner of the room, sitting in a chair with a black blanket covering his body except for his neck, feet and arms were a corpse. The corpse of the Black King, wearing a make-shift metal helmet over his head, with a single gunshot wound to the heart while on the ground near the chair laid Kusakabe in a pool of blood.

On the ground near Kusakabe's hand was a revolver.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED IN HERE!?"

Bradley arrived on the scene hearing Yuuma's scream before seeing the three dead corpses. He looked genuinely surprised, but he remained silent and then finally Lelouch also entered the room where he was apparently shocked by this.

"Three dead bodies!"

"Perhaps one of them killed the other during the initial conflict." Bradley offered, but before anyone could say anything that familiar chime was played.

Monokuma's face appeared on the nearest monitor announcing.

"A body has been discovered! After a period of time, those who remain will gather for a trial to determine who did it!"

A few moments later Monokuma himself appeared, but this time he was drawing a small white golf cart down the hall, but attached to the back was a little self-serve table carrying toast, donuts, muffins and cereal bars with dispensers containing water, juice, and milk with cups available. He parked near the Black King's room before disembarking his vehicle.

"Holy cow, this turned into one heck of a bloodbath. Three deaths in one night, but let me say two things before we get this show on the road." Monokuma said before, everyone got the notification that their devices had the Monokuma files for the victims updated to their devices. "First, since none of you had breakfast, I brought breakfast to you, so you guys get a little time extension to get some food in your stomachs since you can't investigate while on an empty stomach."

Yuuma went for the breakfast selection on the back of the golf cart before Monokuma proceeded to mention the second item of discussion.

"And this time there are two murders in this case; one killed two victims and the other killed one so no one exceeded their limit."

"Two killers, so one of them is dead?" Haiji asked.

"Maybe, but I am not telling you," Monokuma answered followed by its signature sadistic laugh. "Normal rules apply, but as mentioned in the rules you have to discover the identity of both killers. If you fail to find both of them, then you'll vote for the one who gets to live while the other dies. Fail to find one, but catch the other will still result in all of you, but the blackened who wasn't caught getting executed."

"Finding both of them results in both killers getting executed and we get to live?" Lelouch asked prompting a nod from the two-tone bear.

"That's right, so eat something, and then get to work."

Lelouch began reading through the Monokuma Files while some were already getting a bite to either to satisfy their hunger for what laid ahead for them. He started reading through each file one at a time as each one made it easy to move onto the next victim.

" _Reginald Plum, also known as the Black King. Estimated time of death was around 10:30 p.m., fatal injury a gunshot wound to the heart. No lethal poisons were detected in his system, nor had any other injuries that were detected."_ Lelouch thought before reading the next one. _"Kewell Soresi, estimated time of death was around 10:30 p.m., the_ _fatal_ _injury was a slit throat. Additional injuries were two gunshot wounds to the back, but they happened after the victim's death."_

Lelouch moved to the last victim.

"Josui Kusakabe estimated death was shortly after 10:30 p.m. with a gunshot wound to the head. There were no traces of any lethal poisons nor were any other injuries detected."

The former prince was already inspecting the room around him trying to re-imagine how things must've played out. Judging from the Monokuma files both the Black King and Kewell were killed around the same time, but Kusakabe was last. From these facts, it was easy to determine that Kusakabe was killed when he tried to get the gun the Black King held, which also meant that the Black King was likely murdered first.

"The Black King must've used this rope to open the door from a distance and shot at the first person standing outside," Haiji said discovering a long rope that was tied to the doorknob that reached all the way to the chair the Black King had been seated in.

"Yeah, and the helmet he wore was intended to protect him from any potential headshots believing if he struck first he wouldn't have to worry about a counterattack. Even if they got off a shot, because these men both had military training, would've aimed for the head." Lelouch said in agreement with Haiji, but at the same time figuring out the chain of events that happened. "Someone, likely the Black King, must've summoned Kewell and Kusakabe to his room along with the killer before a fight broke out. Using that as an opportunity the Black King opened his door safely from this spot here hoping to shoot whoever survived the initial scuffle knowing he was at risk of breaking the rules if he killed more than two people."

"This plan seemed extremely risky because if one person survived, it would've been a huge problem for him," Haiji commented before Bradley joined the discussion.

"But what if the killers had killed each other?"

"That is a possibility, but it seems Monokuma wants us to determine regardless if the killer is still alive to find out who killed who. None of the rules mention the blackened has to be alive for a trial to take place right?" Lelouch pointed out logically which no one saw a reason to argue against.

Haiji who had one hand on his chin as he carefully contemplating something before speaking, "Someone must've had a second gun, because how did the Black King get killed?"

"That is a possibility since trying to rush the Black King would've resulted in their death since he would've had time to shoot whoever came at him." The former prince said in agreement. "Not to mention I am sure Monokuma probably provided a second gun as a gift for one of us for the sake of game balancing."

"You are correct!" Monokuma exclaimed happily. "Yep, I gave out two guns as gifts, one of you got one, and the other got the second gun. One was a standard handgun while the second gun was a classic revolver."

"Naturally, you won't tell us who got which gun right?" Bradley inquired.

"Nope, you guys got to figure that part out, otherwise why would I hide which weapon you each got?"

Even though it came from Monokuma, it was a logical point.

"Well, it is possible; the owner of their respective gun is dead. If the Black King fired off the first shots, then the revolver is his." Lelouch said, which was oblivious given where the Black King positioned himself.

"So that leaves Kewell or maybe Kusakabe as the only suspects unless there was someone else involved," Haiji commented.

"I am certain there was a third person because if a slash to the throat killed Kewell, then someone used his body as a shield. So who was shooting at him" Lelouch asked with a look of suspicion as he replayed a mental image of the events that happened last night? "Kusakabe was the last one to die according to the Monokuma file, so someone killed him before he could use the Black King's gun."

"That is a good question, but whoever it was got away unscathed," Yuuma noted seeing no one amongst their group showed any signs of oblivious injury.

"If there was a third person involved in the scuffle between these two," Bradley noted who seemed doubtful.

* * *

As the investigation began, Junko was observing them through Monokuma.

Junko was grinning maliciously as she watched everyone investigate the latest murders, which by her own admission was bloodier than she could've anticipated. Still, it didn't damper her eagerness for what she was certain would be the final trial. It was merely a question if both killers wouldn't be caught resulting in a deadly showdown where those doomed to die would decide their fate.

Or would one get caught and the other gets away with it?

"You very excited big sis?" Monaca commented, noticing the big smile Junko had.

"Oh, I am, and this trial will decide so much for what comes next."

"What do you mean?" The green haired girl asked while tilting her head to one side.

"Even though the players didn't offer much despair, I still accomplished a couple things like exposing Gao Hài along with his affair with Lady Stadtfeld."

"Yes, but didn't that set off a civil war in the Chinese Federation?"

Junko was genuinely surprised when she heard about the civil war that had broken out between those loyal to the Empress, despite being reduced to a figurehead, and those loyal to the High Eunuchs. She had known there were growing tensions between the two sides that had been growing in recent years, but she wasn't expecting a civil war to erupt which meant to Junko that relations between the two parties must've been much more strained that she believed.

The fact it happened barely twelve hours after word got out was a clear indication.

"I didn't think things between the two groups were that BAD in jolly old China, but holy shit all-out civil war barely twenty-four hours after Gao Hài died." Junko mused with a smile. "I guess Britannia doesn't have much to worry about, but they are occupied by their war with EU to take advantage of it."

"The EU is the only place where Ultimate Despair doesn't have a foothold. At least not yet."

"That's right... not yet," Junko said darkly. "Thanks to Mukuro's insider information about the state of the EU and the treatment of refugees from Japan I see a lot of potential opportunities."

"All you need are people to establish that foothold right?"

"Exactly!"

* * *

An hour had passed since the bodies had been found, but beyond the guns, they saw each member of the group had a note meant for the other in Kewell and Kusakabe's respective pockets. The letters were addressed to the other instructing them to meet outside the Black King's room at 10:30 p.m. where they would deal with their mutual problem.

Lelouch and Haiji explored their rooms, although they didn't find any additional evidence they did find proof that each note was written in their living quarters before it was given to the other. Suspiciously they found the notepad in the Black King's room missing.

With little time remaining the two began conducting a final search of the Black King's room. Checking the furniture near the door, Haiji found a tape recorder taped under the dresser by the door. Besides the chair, where the Black King sat dead was a glass of wine sat on the small table and a bottle of red wine.

Haiji rewound the tape before playing it where he heard the sound of the door opening. What he heard beyond the first noises brought a smile to both Haiji and Lelouch who overheard it.

Deciding to check the dresser more thoroughly the two found one of the drawers filled with light bulbs.

This was an intriguing find, but it explained why most of the room was dark with only the lamp as the only source of light.

"I think we got this mystery solved," Lelouch commented proudly.

Just in time too, as a familiar chime echoed through the room.

"Ok, I think I gave you guys more than enough time to investigate and have a quick breakfast," Monokuma said after appearing on the monitor. "So why don't all of you hustle down to the elevator and let us begin the next trial so hop to it people."

Both feeling confident about the evidence they found Lelouch and Haiji rendezvous with Bradley and Yuuma at the elevator.

Everyone boarded the elevator in silence, and the ride down to the courtroom was just as quiet save for the sounds the lift made during its descent. Upon entering the courtroom at the bottom, the group saw that the room underwent another renovation. This time the room had a more dungeon-like appearance from medieval times complete with tapestries fashioned after Monokuma's color scheme. The torches on the walls were obliviously fake with electric bulbs fashioned to look like flames with a metal chandelier hanging above them.

"Now everyone to your seats because I am very eager to begin," Monokuma announced from his usual place upon his throne. "Just like before you'll debate and determine whodunit. If you vote correctly the guilty party will be punished, but if not, then everyone else but the blackened."

"But there could be more than one killer this time?" Yuuma asked nervously.

"Who knows," Monokuma replied with a shrug, "but it's time to get going, so start with the murder weapons."

"We know two guns were involved," Lelouch began joining the debate. "The guns were a revolver and a standard military-issued handgun."

"The Black King had the revolver, and he used that to fire outside his room when he opened the door using a rope he tied to the handle," Haiji explained.

Lelouch held up a light bulb he was carrying, "we found one of these in a dresser drawer filled with light bulbs, which we believe came from the light fixtures around his room."

"I see, so the Black King wanted to darken the room so aiming at him would be more difficult," Bradley noted with a contemplating expression on his face.

Haiji nodded his head in agreement, "yes and that was why he wore a helmet to shield his head from headshots. It would've been their first target."

"We know Kewell and Kusakabe had sent notes to one another asking to meet in front of the Black King's room," Lelouch said as he was reviewing the notes the found side by side. "I think they knew the Black King was planning something, although I don't know how but those two became aware of it."

"Well, his notepad was gone so he might've been trying to meet with someone himself, but somehow they caught wind of it," Haiji said adding to the debate. "Someone got rid of it no doubt."

"So the Black King died first, but we don't know who killed him," Bradley asked calmly. "There couldn't have been someone because that person would've exceeded their two victim limit."

"You are correct about that, but Kewell was the one who shot the Black King before he was killed. Then his killer used his gun to kill Kusakabe before he could shoot him."

"His throat was slashed open so whoever fought with Kewell was the one who killed him," Yuuma said believing as Lelouch and Haiji did that someone else was involved.

"Otherwise, it should've been the same killer which their bracelet should've killed them," Haiji noted as everyone was convinced someone else had shown up and a fight broke out.

"Kewell likely shot the Black King since he was the immediate threat, but doing so gave whoever killed him a chance to draw a bladed weapon they used," Lelouch said recounting the events that led to Kewell's demise. "As dark as the room was he must've seen the reflective shine of that helmet thanks to the lamp by the door, so he aimed for the heart instead."

"Realizing he was wearing something to protect his head and likely his neck, he aimed for the chest," Bradley said in agreement. "The fool didn't consider having similar protection for his torso."

"He was probably hoping whoever had shown up would've killed one of the three thus allowing the killer to stay within the two kill per player rule," Haiji noted, which was accurate given the information and evidence presented.

"We can be certain then Kewell murdered the Black King, so we need to find out who killed Kewell and Kusakabe," Lelouch said before all eyes fell on Bradley.

"I had nothing to do with this."

"This says otherwise," Haiji said with a satisfied smirk on his face as he brought out the tape recorder.

Pushing the play button the tape began playing, although there was nothing at first the sound of a door opening came first before the dialog between three men were heard. Two of the men were Kewell and Kusakabe, but the third voice clearly belonged to Luciano Bradley.

 _"Did you two think I wouldn't find out about your role in my abduction?"_ Luciano Bradley said to the two men while the door had been opened behind them.

At that moment the first shot was fired, likely from the Black King, but Kewell must've brought out his own gun and shot the Black King as the sound of the gun falling to the floor was heard.

 _"GET THE GUN!"_ Kewell yelled prompting Kusakabe to run for the weapon while a violent struggle broke out between Bradley and Kewell. It didn't last long as Kewell's throat was slashed open at this point, thanks to the concealed blade he had on him.

With Kewell's gun in hand Bradley aimed and shot Kusakabe just as he picked up the gun.

 _"Stupid Eleven."_

The sound of Bradley walking into the room was heard, followed by him taking the notepad from the desk, judging from the sounds he was making, and then he conducted a quick search of the room checking the drawers before leaving the room once he was sure there would be no evidence to implicate him.

Haiji switched off the recorder with a pleased smirk on his face.

"I think we have nothing further to discuss."

"Upupupu," Monokuma laughed as everyone looked confident, Bradley, on the other hand, was in shock because had been caught, but he was trying to grasp how he missed the tape recorder. Obvious to Bradley's shock Monokuma spoke, "that seemed a bit too easy, but if you guys are ready it's time for the nerve-racking voting time. It is time to choose our two killers. Pull the lever when you are ready to cast your vote."

Everyone, except Bradley, cast their votes and the results came in.

When Bradley was voted the killer of Kewell and Kusakabe, they got the usual positive result confirming they were correct, but when the results came in for who killed the Black King, the following words were displayed.

 **INCORRECT!**

In that instant everyone, but one was trapped in a cage that was dropped from the ceiling.

"B-but how did we get it wrong?" Yuuma began as she was utterly shocked as was Haiji.

Monokuma was beside himself with joyous laughter.

"Congratulations we finally have a winner. A blackened has gotten away with it." Monokuma exclaimed as colorful confetti was dropped from the ceiling around the room. "Such a complex plan too, as befitting of our winner who has a very cunning and devious mind."

"HOW, Haiji shouted, "how did we get it wrong!?"

"Allow me to explain," Monokuma said before pointing to the monitors on the wall, "this murder was very carefully planned out. It was thanks to the clever use of tape recorders to collect Intel on the rest of you leading the Blackened to choose the Black King as his target."

An animated clip played of a gray humanoid shaped person playing the killer sitting in a chair within their room in deep thought.

"A very critical key to the killer's plan was the discovery of secret passages linking all of the rooms together used by yours truly sometimes to move around quickly." The two-tone bear explained before a slid away hatch on the lower part of the wall opened revealing a passageway out of the room located in the corner of the room. "I tried to hint at their existence to you guys early on during the game, but only the killer realized it."

The animated clip showed the killer sneaking around the passageway which opens into a small hallway while above the entrance leading into each room was a panel that could be used to observe the living quarters of the player ahead before entering. Then below a power socket could be flipped open to provide a secret listening hole, which was intentionally offered to be of use to the players.

"The killer even knew early on who had killed Gao Hài, thanks to this trick. It was right after that the killer set his plan into motion by sneaking into the Black King's room while he was taking a shower." Monokuma explained as the animated clip showed those events. "He knew from the information he gathered that after five he takes a shower and then has a glass of wine afterward."

The next clip showed the killer opening the wine bottle and then slipping a small bit of powder into the wine before shaking the resealed bottle to mix it.

"He then slipped a strong sleeping drug into the wine to knock him out for at least five hours." The bear explained as a clip played of a dressed Black King, who came out of the shower before sitting in his chair to drink his wine not realizing what had been added to it. "Once he was out cold the killer went to work."

The killer was shown writing a letter on the Black King's desk.

"Now he needed to lure those he planned to use." Monokuma explained before the killer slips the note meant for Bradley under his door. "Thanks to knowing where and when everyone is the killer broke into Kewell and Kusakabe's rooms to compose the other's letter that way during the investigation everyone would be convinced the notes came from their rooms. Of course, this part of the plan was perilous because if he were caught, his plan would be ruined."

An animated montage of the killer began playing with everyone watching the killer removing the light bulbs around the room, fashioning the helmet using tools they brought and prepared beforehand from the workshop upstairs and then setting up the lamp and the rope that would be used to open the door.

"Once everyone had their notes the killer finished their preparations, including a special metal plate with a slab of beef and a small plastic bag full of tomato sauce." Monokuma explained as the killer finished their work. "It was a good thing he didn't have to move any furniture otherwise his plan might've gone belly up."

The animated show the killer looking at the time to see it was 10:30 p.m., which was when the Black King was beginning to stir as the sleeping drug wore off. However, before he could fully come to the killer used the revolver and shot him in the heart.

"Once Black King was dead, he placed the chest-plate; he made and placed both the blanket and the helmet on." Monokuma explained before the killer switched on the tape recorder under dresser they had hidden there during their preparations, but they hid another one in a more obvious place, by the lamp, to act as a decoy. "He got back into the secret passageway after making sure the rope he was using appeared to be held by the Black King before opening the door while the secret passageway was hidden behind the chair and the darkness in that corner of the room."

The animated clip showed what happened next as the killer opened the door using the rope before firing a shot at them from behind the chair while holding the gun from where it would appear to be fired from the Black King.

"After Kewell shot him the killer dropped the gun and retreated into the passageway. The fighting that was going on made it easier to mask the closing of the passageway, but they are very quiet when you close them."

The rest of the animated clip played out according to the recording where everyone but Bradley was killed. Then he took the notepad from the Black King's desk and the tape recorder that sat by the lamp. The last thing he did was put two fingers to the Black King's neck to check for a pulse to ensure he was dead. After that, he left the room.

"Once, Bradley believed he was safe he left to return to his room. Once he was gone the killer emerged from the passageway to shut off the hidden tape recorder before destroying any evidence that could've implicated him." Monokuma explained before the killer used gloves and a trash bag converted into a makeshift apron. Then, as a precaution, the killer closed the door before locking it.

The video showed the killer removing the chest plate which successfully caught Kewell's bullet, thanks to the metal and piece of wood that made it up, before replacing the black blanket with a new one that had a hole over the heart to imitate a bullet hole. The killer pressed down on the corpse to soak it with blood. Then the killer disposed of the wine by pouring it into the bathroom sink as a precaution and replaced it all including the wine in the glass with fresh red wine with a new bottle.

"Once he had everything bagged and in the passageway, the killer turned the tape recorder back on after opening the door just slightly before silently leaving without making a noise."

The animated show presented the killer smiling sinisterly.

"All that was left was to dispose of it all in the incinerator." Monokuma explained. "Once everything was done the killer just had to wait until morning since the trash room is off limits at night."

"So who was the Black King's real killer?" Yuuma asked.

Monokuma laughed before pointing at the killer in question, "the one who isn't in a cage."

Haiji, Yuuma, and Bradley all looked and found that Lelouch wasn't in a cage.

"That's right Mr. Lamperouge was the one who killed the Black King." Monokuma cheered.

"The high school student did it!" Bradley said genuinely shocked as his expression clearly indicated.

"Yes," Lelouch began as his voice became as cold as death with a smile that was far too sinister for someone as young as he should possess. "I had planned this murder ever since Monokuma hinted to me the existence of the hidden passages, which was easy for me since I blocked off my door, so I had to wonder how he got inside when the only entrance should've been blocked off. The rest of you assumed he came in through the front door."

"Yup, yup," Monokuma said confirming Lelouch's revelation to the group, "all he needed were the right tools and a target to set it all up. Then he lured the others into a trap that was engineered up to cover up his own murder while pinning the blame on someone else. The notes were another factor he used after he showed all of you that trick during the first trial to better cement his alibi and placing full blame for the Black King's death on Kewell!"

"Why didn't the sleeping drug he used showed up in the Monokuma file?" Haiji demanded as his face was one of pure rage.

"Because the drug had worked its way through his system by the time he died, especially since he was waking up when Lelouch shot him." The two-tone bear answered before explaining further. "He asked me about the possibility yesterday in his room as he wanted to know if any drugs in the victim's system are recorded by the bracelets at the time of death. I told him yes, so that was why he put him to sleep as early as he did so when the time came to kill him Lelouch could not only have it match the time of death he needs it at. By that point, the drug had worked its way through his system since it was only meant to work for five hours."

"Then that plate he hid on the body to catch Kewell's bullet. It was to mimic the way Lelouch killed him because another bullet wound would've been suspicious." Bradley realizing just how complicated and planned out it was, although it was hazardous as the chance of it going wrong was high.

But it all worked out successfully.

"Anyway, now that I answered your questions it's time for the losers to get their just rewards. It's PUNISHMENT TIME!" Monokuma exclaimed before the pedestal was raised before him upon which he struck it with his hammer. A sprite version of Lelouch was standing off to the left of the screen looking triumphant while the 2D sprite of Monokuma grabbed sprite versions of Haiji, Yuuma, and Bradley before dragging them away to the right.

* * *

 **Congratulations**

 **Lelouch has gotten away with it!**

 **Everyone else gets punished!**

* * *

Yuuma Utsugi was the first to be punished as everyone else was dragged off to their own executions. She was tied to a set of train tracks by thick rope, but one arm was free as she was allowed to hold a dull knife. Monokuma sat on a hill dressed in an old fashion train conductor's outfit working a small control device commonly used by those who owned train sets to turn on and off their collectible toy trains.

Only for Monokuma, his trains were full size, and each of them was hauling a full cargo behind them. There were two locomotives, both of them old steam locomotives controlled by remote.

* * *

 **Execution: Silver Screen Finale**

* * *

The execution was being viewed as a movie from the silent film era complete with silvery footage and music being played from a piano that sounded strangely cheerful at the start. It naturally had title cards to substitute for sound.

Within an enclosed track the trains began speeding around a course with fake cardboard cutouts of trees and people lining the landscape. Yuuma started struggling to cut her bonds, but the knife was horribly too dull to make a useful cutting tool. It didn't help her situation that her ropes were too thick to cut through quickly.

A title card displaying Yuuma's screaming in text upon the title card before cutting to Monokuma who made a gesture of one pumping their arm up and down before a title card of.

 **Choo, choo!**

Monokuma had the two trains pick up speed, but when Yuuma feared she would be killed, she noticed a track change lever with a target on it. Yuuma took aim with the knife and hurled it at the target hitting it right in the bulls-eye, but her joy was short lived as she realized to her horror that the tracks were changed now that both trains would collide with the other while she would be hit by them when they did.

Realizing her folly, Yuuma began screaming before shouting that was displayed as a title card.

" **I can't die here I must make my daughter shine forever!"**

She continued to struggle desperately against her bonds until at last the two trains crashed head-on into each other with Yuuma caught in the middle. She was killed instantly, and the movie ended with Monokuma now dressed up as one of those old villains from those black and white westerns complete with the thin mustache, a black top hat, and a cape.

 **Upupupu!**

 ***Fin***

* * *

 **Execution: Adorable Hunters**

* * *

The next execution featuring Haiji Towa had him running down a hallway trying to escape from mechanical robots in the guise of little girls armed with swords. Unknown to many, but few knew that Haiji Towa was a Lolicon. Now he was on the run from those he would've felt an attraction for even though they were apparently robotic. The hallway itself was painted bright pink with a young child feel to the room, but no matter how much Haiji ran his pursuers were closing the gap.

Up ahead there was a fork in the road where signs were pointing to the left and the right; the sign on the left point to "Survive" and the sign on the right pointed to "Death." Suspecting a trick Haiji chose death and ran down the hallway, but when he turned a corner, he saw another group of mechanical little girls waiting for him.

This time they were armed with rifles.

It seemed he was cornered as the group chasing him caught up blocking any escape route, but a trap door opened below his feet sending him tumbling down a chute until he was dropped into a large pool of water. It appeared to be some kind of underground lake as it seemed more natural than man-made, but following Haiji into the water was bloody fish parts and meat. By the time Haiji realized what was about to happen it was too late. He was attacked and torn apart by sharks that had been living in the water in a violent feeding frenzy.

* * *

 **Execution: Circus Performance of the Vampire**

* * *

The Knight of Ten landed in the middle of a circus tent where Monokuma, dressed as a ringmaster wearing a red suit and a black top hat, was waiting. Reacting faster than the eye could track Monokuma began throwing knives at the Vampire of Britannia just as a round wooden board with a bulls-eye painted on it erupted from the ground behind Bradley. Hitting with precision and strength no human could possess, even despite Bradley's efforts to evade and escape the knives, Monokuma struck Bradley's hands and legs with his throwing knives, the large and red handled throwing knives Bradley preferred to use. The blades were long enough to go clear through a human limb sticking him to the wooden slab behind him.

Monokuma stabbed two more knives into the Knight of the Round's shoulders to ensure he was pinned into place.

At that moment the circus tent fell around them to reveal a tropical beach scene before the board a struggling Bradley was titled vertically as the world's biggest UV lamp mounted on top of a modified tank to support the weight of the giant lamp rolled into position. The UV lamp was positioned so it would shine down on the Vampire of Britannia while Monokuma changed out of his outfit and prepared to sunbath behind the lamp going as far to wear a pair of sunglasses.

As the lamp prepared to turn on Bradley managed to get one hand free despite being in agonizing pain, but before he could free himself or disable the UV lamp, it switched on.

Luciano Bradley could only scream as he was burned alive by the artificial sun-like lamp as it had an intensity that was far too lethal for any living creature to endure. By the time it was over Luciano Bradley was reduced to a hideously burned out husk as the superheating of the knives he had been struck with had only worsened the pain he endured.

* * *

Lelouch felt no remorse for condemning them to their deaths, especially for Bradley and Yuuma, but he also knew Haiji would've backstabbed since he had heard about the Towa Family from Suzaku. Even though they were honorable as a business, but the family itself was anything but what the company presented itself. As a child, Suzaku had never trusted the Towa Family, which stemmed from their treatment of the youngest child of the family.

The fact the family head had mistresses, which the daughter in question had been born from one of them, didn't exactly help Lelouch's impression of the Towa Family.

"EXTREME!" Monokuma happily exclaimed once the executions were done. "Well done Lelouch I got to hand it to you out of everyone here I wasn't expecting you to win."

"I suppose you plan on killing me now right?"

"Nah," The bear replied as a click could be heard, "you won the game, so a deal is a deal. You get to live."

Lelouch turned his head and saw that the bracelet he had been wearing suddenly detached itself from his wrist before falling to the ground.

"I see," Lelouch said with a sense of relief, "but then you'll tell me who sold me out to you?"

"Of course I am a bear of my word. I'll include an audio recording of the meeting between the person in question and my representative who he bought the info from, but the name of the person in question was Elena Ashford. She sold you up the creek without a paddle!"

The former prince had suspected her, but now he had proof that Milly's own mother had sold him out and risked being exposed with his sister's secret being found out had he died. Even though she likely had no idea who she had been dealing with Lelouch knew she was a problem that had to be dealt with. He kept a straight face, but under that neutral expression, Lelouch was furious.

"Don't forget that you get a shit load of money for all of your trouble too. Ten million to be exact, so I hope you'll put that money to use."

"Answer me one question? You want only despair, but what is the end goal? Is that really all you want especially if you do succeed at your goal?" Lelouch asked with a serious expression.

"All I want is despair," Monokuma explained to Lelouch before adding, "And since there is no reason for it, there is no argument against it. There is just no understanding it. No argument, no understanding, so what better definition for Ultimate Despair is there?"

 _I see, so no reason drives Monokuma, which is probably more troubling and makes him more dangerously unpredictable._

"Now you got to answer my question. What is your goal?"

"My goal?" Lelouch said before a smile appeared on his lips. "I doubt you'll understand my reasons for it, but I intend to destroy Britannia!"

"You take on a superpower that controls one-third of the entire world." Monokuma exclaimed in shock, although his control Junko knew this, "I can't tell if you are crazy or something else."

"It does sound impossible doesn't it, but when you are confronted with an evil, you cannot defeat through just means you have to ask yourself a simple question. Do you stain your hands with evil to destroy evil? Or do you remain steadfastly just and righteous even if it means surrendering to evil?"

Monokuma was silent for a moment before he burst out laughing.

"I like you kid. I look forward to seeing if you'll do just that now that you are loaded."

A moment later a masked member of Ultimate Despair approached Lelouch from behind before stabbing into his neck an injector that quickly knocked the former prince out with a tranquilizer.

* * *

Watching from Monokuma's control room as the two masked members of Ultimate Despair hauled away Lelouch to be delivered back at Ashford Academy along with the money he won. Monaca was pleased that her older-half brother was dead because that left her with complete control of the Towa Group and her seat with the Six Houses of Kyoto was secured. Junko Enoshima, on the other hand, was downright ecstatic that Lelouch had won her Killing Game, although some things didn't go according to plan Junko was nevertheless satisfied with the result.

Junko was partially happy enough to begin jumping up and down; although she was sure Lelouch wasn't going to survive, he defied all expectations once again. Her cheeks took on a bright shade of red while she clasped her hands together.

"Just wonderful! The despair of losing your mother and being cast out and abandoned in a foreign land has clearly done wonders for you!" Junko exclaimed happily.

"Who would've thought the skinny boy would've won your game," Monaca commented, but it didn't dampen her happy state of mind since Haiji died using the execution she designed for him and asked Junko to put him through it.

"He might be skinny and frail, but it hides a very devious and cunning mind," Junko commented. "I wonder what's going to happen next to him?"

"You think he is going to start his plan to destroy Britannia?"

"Probably, but he'll need to do something about Milly's mother first," Junko replied as she thought _what she would do if she_ _were_ _Lelouch_. She knew he would deal with Elena first before doing anything else, but all of that money he had now was another issue. Lelouch couldn't walk into a bank and just deposit it all withdrawing some unwanted attention.

"Anything you need me to do big sis?"

"Get the gang together and tell them to start training," Junko said with a sparkle in her eye. "Now that their parents are dead, they should have more free time."

Monaca's eyes sparkled knowing what Junko meant.

"I'll tell them right away."

* * *

Around the same time across the ocean in the Britannian Homeland, a man of towering stature was seated upon his throne watching a broadcast, he was expecting to see. It jammed out all television broadcast for this rouge transmission to dominate the airwaves. He sat motionless while his bodyguard who stood nearby in stoic silence.

Monokuma appeared on the screen with an announcement.

"Great News everyone the First Area 11 Killing Game is officially over. That's right we got ourselves a winner!" The two-tone bear exclaimed. "That's right, but it wasn't the Knight of Ten who won. Too bad so sad, but I guess he wasn't much of a Homicidal Genius since his status as a Knight of the Round protected him."

Monokuma began replaying the execution of the Knight of Ten for all of Britannia to see.

"He did kill Lieutenant Colonel Kusakabe of the JLF and Kewell Soresi of the Purist Faction, which shouldn't come as a surprise since Mr. Soresi was secretly plotting to have the Knight of Ten killed. To do so, he sought out help from the JLF and guess who…that's right Kusakabe, but sad for them my inside man with the JLF heard about the meeting and told me about it." Monokuma explained before the grasps of an audience in shock could be heard.

Photos of Kewell meeting with members of the JLF in an old warehouse with Kusakabe heading the meeting were shown.

"Of course I doubt any decent resistance fighter would miss out on a chance to take out a Knight of the Round. Just think about how bad ass you could be by telling everyone you killed a Knight of the Round," Monokuma said as he began flexing his muscles. "Too bad Bradley killed both of them when they tried to murder him with Kewell planning to take the fall during the trial because his goal was to see Luciano Bradley dead by any means. Why do you ask, because it was for the sake of his little sister, Marika?"

A photo of the young Marika Soresi was shown wearing a cadet uniform, she had a certain resemblance to her brother, but her hair was short, and she had the same eyes with some freckles on her face too making her look rather cute.

"Kewell got word that the Knight of Ten was looking for some young female cadets to fill the ranks of his personal squad. Now normally serving as part of the personal squad of a Knight of the Round is usually a sweet gig to land, but for those with the Knight of Ten not so much." Monokuma explained before showing a few photos of the members of Luciano Bradley's personal squadron dubbed the Valkyrie Squadron. All of the members were beautiful women with some being teenagers barely out of high school, but they wore very revealing outfits of purple and gold trim. "The skimpy outfits are really tacky I know, but that isn't the only problem. You see the Knight of Ten tends to get _very_ personal with members of his own squad, but if he either gets bored of them or you don't do as he wants. Those people tend to end up dead serving as a meat shield."

Monokuma began laughing as he showed footage of Kewell fighting the Knight of Ten before being murdered by him.

"Sibling love isn't it wonderful?" Monokuma said using a tissue to wipe away a tear, even though he had none to wipe away, before tossing aside. "There are things you are willing to do for that sibling of yours including cold-blooded murder and betraying your own country!"

Next Monokuma showed the executions of Haiji Towa and Yuuma Utsugi.

"And these guys ended up getting executed when our winner fooled them into thinking Kewell killed this fellow Reginald Plum otherwise known throughout Area 11 as the Black King." Monokuma explained before showing him dead in a chair with a gunshot wound to the chest. "Our winner was smart, devious and very sneaky, but as per the rules since the winner won the game his or her identity stays secret, and that winner is now really rich too. I am sure no one will miss Mr. Towa a Lolicon who was kinda a jackass and Mrs. Utsugi, the worse mother of the year for prostituting her own daughter to further her career. Hell, she went as far as prostituting herself alongside her as a mother and daughter set."

Monokuma spun around to look at the camera.

"Well good night Area 11 and know that in good time I'll be doing another Killing Game, but this one will be available for everyone to watch. However, know that it's going to be better than this one was."

After his signature laugh, the broadcast ended leaving Charles zi Britannia, the 98th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire along with his bodyguard the Knight of One Bismarck Waldstein.

Bismarck, almost befitting of his title the strongest knight of the empire, was a tall man standing at least nearly seven feet tall wearing an all-white uniform and cloak to match. He had his left eye sewn shut, and he had a groomed beard with medium length dark hair.

"Have Cornelia hurry with the establishment of Area 18, but if she can't be quick enough. I want you to go to the front and help further the establishment of Area 18 as quickly as possible," Charles ordered coldly, although the death of the Knight of Ten didn't bother him, Clovis's repeated failures as Viceroy caused him more trouble than it was worth.

Even though Charles was in his sixties, he was still considered quite handsome for his advanced age, which was no surprise given how many of his children looked, but he also possessed a well-built muscular frame that only enhanced his presence as Emperor of one of the mightiest nations on Earth. He wore his purple robes, and cape helped his image while his long white hair was styled into Renaissance-style curls and piercing violet eyes provided an air of intimidation.

"I'll speak to her immediately, but shall I go to Area 11 to relieve Clovis until Cornelia arrives?"

"No," Charles answered, "sending you would be a waste. Clovis will remain as Viceroy for now, but any further missteps and I will send you if only to execute him for his gross incompetence. He is a complete embarrassment to the Royal Family." Charles replied to his one-eyed bodyguard who merely bowed his head in compliance.

However, Charles's lips curved into a smile, _unlike you Lelouch…you have at least proven to be more worthy of calling yourself my son than Clovis._

* * *

Lelouch didn't know how long he was out, but when he awoke, he recognized the movement Lelouch was feeling around him that he was inside some kind of vehicle, like a van, as it was driving down the road. Even though Lelouch tried to play possum one of the Ultimate Despair members in the large vehicle noticed he was awake, but Lelouch couldn't see anything since he had a black cloth bag over his head with holes to ensure he could breathe through it.

They said nothing to him, and Lelouch kept quiet believing it was for the best.

The van eventually came to a stop with the side door being opened up before Lelouch was brought to his feet and helped out of the large vehicle rather forcefully. He was standing up outside the van before one of the people who had been in the van with him placed a large suitcase on the ground next to him before pulling the bag off his head.

After the door was slammed shut the black van drove away.

Lelouch glared at the van before dusting himself off. After that, he picked up the suitcase and walked into Ashford Academy, but he had to admit it was surprisingly considerate to drop him off at one of the side entrances.

The sun was beginning to set, so not too many students should be out and about. Regardless Lelouch knew it would be best if he could get to his room as soon as possible and the fewer people who saw him with the suitcase he was hauling around, the better.

* * *

In a hidden location somewhere in the underground tunnels of Kyoto where Monaca Towa, soon to assume her father's seat among the leaders of Kyoto House, led her friends the self-proclaimed Warriors of Hope through one of the hidden factors the Towa Group had established. Masaru, Kotoko, Jataro, and Nagisa followed Monaca into a hanger where four Knightmare Frames stood next one another side by side.

Using a remote Monaca turned on the lights revealing four Knightmare Frames created using heavily modified RPI-209 Gloucester units; although the Gloucester units were remodeled Sutherlands designed more for close combats possessing high-performance capabilities. Nagisa who was familiar with Knightmare Frames recognized the base unit Monaca had used to create four different customized machines.

"How did you get your hands on Gloucester Units?" Nagisa asked because most resistance groups could at best only get their hands on old Glasgow units, which became the basis for the Burai unit used mostly by the JLF, so the fact Monaca got her hands on some Gloucesters to modify as she pleased spoke well of the growing influence Ultimate Despair was gaining.

In response to his question, Monaca turned around smiling brightly, "Oh don't sweat the little details, but the important fact is these machines will test some of the weapons I am working on for your custom machines. They will give me all of the combat data I need to build and tailor each of your machines according to your piloting and combat style."

"Oh sweet, I didn't really get all of that, but we use these enough, and you can make us better machines right?" Masaru asked with a big smile.

"Pretty much and big sis Junko wants us to learn how to pilot these machines for what she is planning later, so if a chance for real combat comes along, we're going there," Monaca replied before smiling warmly to inspire her friends.

"But, won't these machines be kinda hard to use?" Jataro asked.

"Not with a special neural interface installed into each machine," The green haired girl revealed with a matter of fact tone, "they are a classified new technology one of big sis's friends managed to get for us. Thanks to his help and my _magic_ I was able to create a working model to make using these machines much easier. You still have to work the control sticks, but everything else is based on thought so the machine should respond much faster compared to normal to give you guys an edge against older and more seasoned pilots."

The neural interface was a new technology being developed jointly with some of Britannian researchers from a research division overseen by the Viceroy and the Ultimate Neurologist working on it as a black project. Even through Monaca created a working prototype with Yasuke helping her it wasn't close to the prototype the Britannian research division in Area 11 was working on. Monaca wasn't too worried since for that version to operate the pilot would need some cybernetic implants, which was another reason why her version of the interface was inferior, but it would still be enough to help her friends fight on par with seasoned pilots after some simulation training.

"Oh, I love the pink color scheme my machine has!" Kotoko exclaimed happily.

From left to right the customized Gloucester was painted with a white and gold trimmed color scheme. Its head was modified to appear similar to that of a heroic knight, but its hands had been replaced with a pair of razor-sharp drills with thick metal shields on the forearms to provide defense against close range weapons. It had an anti-personal machine gun mounted on the chest and a pair of hip-mounted grenade launchers on rotating turret-style design.

The Type-H01 Gloucester Drill Offensive TM (Test Model) would be piloted by Masaru Daimon.

Next to it was the second machine, but unlike the first one, the second model intended for Jataro was designed for heavy artillery using explosive ordinance. As such its armor was heavily reinforced, sacrificing speed for increased durability, but its arms had a pair of 22 mm gating guns, one for each, mounted on each forearm. Its back had a couple of rotating heavy missile launchers while its hips carried a three-tube mini-missile launcher while it could still use its hands to toss grenades. It had a dark blue color scheme with some white trim, but its head was more conical unlike most Knightmare Frames giving it the appearance of a priest or holy man.

The Type-P02 Gloucester Heavy Artillery Bomber TM would be used by Jataro Kemuri.

The third machine was pink in color with some red trim, but similar to Masaru's Knightmare Frame Kotoko's machine was built more for massive close quarters combat using a sizeable bladed ax with a buzz saw integrated into the Knightmare Frame's blade to enhance its cutting power. Its head was designed more after a knight's helmet with covered horns and the shoulder armor were replaced with spiked shoulder armor. The pink Knightmare Frame had a pair of swords it could draw from its backpack as reserve weapons, which were similar to the ax possessing a cutting chain built into them. It still had grenades, but it also carried chaff grenades for quick escapes.

The Type-W03 Gloucester Blade Offensive TM will be piloted by Kotoko Utsugi.

The last unit was crafted with a gold and black color scheme, but its weapon of choice was a long range sniper rifle could fire high-speed bullets capable of piercing thick armor plating. It could switch to bullets with explosive rounds for more damage. It wore a tattered brown cloak around its body, but like Kotoko's machine, it did carry its assault rifle with a grenade launcher attached to it as a backup weapon. The helmet was simplified, based on a skull leaving it with red eyes, but it carried a well-assembled sensor and targeting package making the machine perfect for long range combat.

The final unit the Type-S04 Gloucester Sniper TM would be piloted by Nagisa Shingetsu.

"I can't wait to mines out for a spin!" Masaru exclaimed happily as if he was just given a brand new bike.

"Be patient I am sure your chance will come soon," Monaca said to calm her overly eager friend. "But most important of all the more you use them, the more data I can get which will have me to build a much better machine for each of you."

* * *

Lelouch had missed his own living quarters upon successfully sneaking into his room, but more so he was glad no one had seen him. He quickly hid the suitcase, but not before he opened it to take out the promised recording Monokuma had left for him confirming that Milly's own mother had sold him out. The former prince was still contemplating how to best deal with her, but even so, he knew he couldn't act recklessly.

 _One thing at a time,_ Lelouch thought before taking off his school uniform coat, _I need a bath…maybe it will help me_ _feel_ _a little better._

After ensuring the suitcase was well hidden, Lelouch grabbed a change of clothes and went to the bathroom to clean up.

Once he was inside the shoulder the warm water was successful in helping clear his head enabling him to think more clearly.

 _I'll check some of the bills to make sure none of it is counterfeit,_ Lelouch said as he had some tools for that purpose as he had been worried about being given fake bills from his underground chess matches victories, so Lelouch had pens and even a light he had bought to use for such purposes. _Then I need to figure out how to use the money without drawing attention,_ _and_ _then I must work out a plan to deal with Mrs. Ashford._

Even he wanted to deal with her now Lelouch knew one wrong move could be fatal.

One thing was sure he was going to be very busy over the next few days.

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater:**

Monokuma was standing on a stage addressing the reader.

"My friends you know what we need more of in fiction, anti-heroes.!"

The two-tone bear began walking to the other side of the stage before explaining.

"I mean we have had all kinds of lame heroes who seem to be made out of the same mold for the most part where you got them inspired by the power of friendship or makes long cheesy speeches about hope," Monokuma said before shaking its head in disgust. "But anti-heroes, the bad boys or bad girls, now there is some fresh air and some untapped potential. Tough mean and nasty, but while they are not the kind to spread despair they won't make cheesy speeches right. Seriously it's lame."

* * *

A/N:

The first killing game has concluded for now, but what will next one hold and what kind of new rules will it use? I am considering a Royal Killing Game (as one of the Killing Game types I am thinking), but having trouble with coming up with a good number of contestants since I am trying to avoid using OCs as much as I can unless I need some to fill in some minor character roles.

For now, though Lelouch has a lot on his plate to deal with, soon he'll be getting his Geass in due time. If you are wondering if this means Shinjuku Ghetto happens next then yes you are right, but at the same time I don't want to do a retelling of Shinjuku, so I am considering a different approach. Either way, Junko will be neck deep in those events, although Mukuro would've been a better choice it would've made things a little too easy.

Not to mention there is some humor potential there among other things.

The Warriors of Hope are getting Knightmare Frames, although they can't match the Lancelot one on one, they will be at least capable of holding their own against most common Knightmare Frame pilots. Not much of a threat now, alone, but give it time and who knows.

Even though some of the executions were shorter than I had imagined, but Haiji's execution was a tough one because I was trying to think of a proper execution for a Lolicon. Yuuma's execution I wanted it to reflect her desire for fame which she forced on her own daughter in horrific ways, which I do not feel any sympathy for Kotoko's mother…she got what she deserved in canon as far as I am concerned.

Bradley's execution I am glad I could make something that not only captured not only his nickname and preferred weapon of throwing knives but I paid homage to how Kallen killed him in R2 at the same time.

And yes Lelouch did discover Monokuma had used a secret passageway to visit him after he blocked off his own door, which he tried to hint at other players about but Lelouch picked up on it. It happened in the early chapters, but I avoided mentioning to hide it.

Now with Lelouch needing to take care of some things, he will soon be attending Hope's Peak Academy as part of Class 78, although I considered having him attend Class 77 they technically don't have a vacancy.

Neither does Class 78, but…*the author looks at* Yasuhiro Hagakure.

"Uh, why are you looking at me."

Nothing just thinking about arranging for a vacancy.

Anyway read and review and I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter despite some flaws, but I hope to improve as the story goes further in.


	8. Chapter 8 Junko's Best Day Ever

A disclaimer: The views in this story do not match those of the author, and furthermore, he apparently doesn't own Code Geass or Danganronpa.

A/N: Well this chapter was a little more challenging to make, and I wanted to avoid a rehash of Shinjuku Ghetto, so I am trying something new which I hope will go over well. This should allow me to not have to go through writing up events that happened in canon, but there will be some changes seen at the beginning of the chapter, so I hope you guys enjoy it.

Initially, I was going to do it all in one chapter, but I thought it was best to break the chapter up into two so here we go.

2/13/18: edited and cleaned up.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their_ _mind._ _"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

 **Junko's Best Day Ever**

Mukuro Ikusaba watched the television with a worried expression, but the reason for her worry. It wasn't because of the news report of escalating riots and civil war in the Chinese Federation, the Stadtfeld Family coming under political fire for the scandal Lord Stadtfeld's wife was involved in and that his only daughter was a half-blood, but worry revolved around her sister and Lelouch.

It had been four days since Lelouch had won her younger sister's killing game, a feat that impressed Mukuro, but more than anything she was glad he had survived. She knew what had happened, but a cunning manipulator he was Lelouch fooled everyone about his Killing Game involvement and lied that he had seen the new campus Hope's Peak Academy was being built in the Britannian Homeland on an island off the west coast.

Only Junko and Mukuro were aware of what really happened, but of course, they made sure not to hint that to Lelouch.

Mukuro knew that Lelouch was likely trying to find a way to deal with Milly's mother, but at the same time devise a method of using the money he had won without drawing any attention to the wealth he now had. By now she knew Lelouch had successfully checked most of it to see it was counterfeit, but she knew the money Junko had given Lelouch was real. All of it was acquired from the banks Ultimate Despair had robbed across Area 11 to both bolster their funds and to prepare the prize money as one of the motives.

Today Junko was accompanying Lelouch to a chess game to help bail out a noble he knew, but more accurate to say this was an elderly noble whom Lelouch had bailed out of trouble when engaged in a game of chess he couldn't win so he owed him a few favors. However a complication arose when neither of them returned to school when lunch was over, and Mukuro got a call from Junko explaining what was going on and that she needed Mukuro to dispatch the Warriors of Hope.

" _We're kinda caught up in a mass slaughter of the whole Shinjuku Ghetto, but this is a perfect chance for the Warriors of Hope to get some real combat experience."_

No matter how carefree and laidback Junko sounded Mukuro was horrified both her sister and the boy she was secretly in love with was in grave danger.

Thankfully, her concerns were laid to rest when, after eight o'clock the door opened, and Junko Enoshima entered the shared dorm of the Despair Sisters with a blank expression on her face. As quickly as she came, Junko closed the door before…

"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesssssss…!" Junko cried out gleefully as the floodgates flew open as the Ultimate Despair was in a state of pure ecstasy, but at the same time, she was perversely aroused as well. Mukuro suspected this was based on the bright shade of pink on Junko's cheeks and how she was drooling with the biggest smile she had ever seen on Junko's face. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, so many flavors and so much despair in one day!"

Mukuro stayed quiet, she was staring at her sister with wide eyes, but she didn't dare do anything that could ruin her sister's good mood.

The older of the despair sisters continued observing her sister in shock before she jumped onto her bed before clutching a pillow and rolling around like a little girl who was the happiest person on Earth as she hugged said cushion.

"Oh, Lelouch you were so magnificent," Junko exclaimed as she held the pillow treating it like a miniature version of Lelouch. "Not only did you show me what you can do, but so much despair and you even showed me a few rare ones!"

The display went on for five minutes before Junko finally noticed Mukuro was in the room who adopted a curious expression as she was very curious about what happened that made her sister experience so much joy that it actually frightened the hardened Ultimate Soldier. Junko finally regained her composure, but she had a big toothy grin on her face. Using some paper and some colored markers the blonde haired woman made some pictures before turning to Mukuro.

"So I guess you want to know what happened," Junko asked, prompting Mukuro to nod, "but since I am in a good mood I'll tell you!"

Junko began retelling what had happened today to Mukuro using crude colored drawings with the first one showing Lelouch and her riding on Rivalz's bike with the former prince driving and Junko in the sidecar.

"It all began when we went to a chess game where Lelouch was asked to replace that old geezer; he usually helps out in exchange for some favors."

* * *

It was about midday when Lelouch and Junko arrived at the building where the chess game was taking place. After parking the bike, the two proceeded inside as Junko was following Lelouch to check on him to see if he might've, even though it was unlikely, suspected anything that could expose her identity as the one behind Monokuma.

Upon exiting the elevator, the two walked through a pair of double doors where they opened to reveal a generous room where a chess game was in progress with four men in black suits standing guard around the room. At the center of the room was an old man with a nearly bald head with some gray hair still left around the base of his scalp, and he wore a pair of glasses over his blue eyes. He wore a white dress shirt with a black vest and a matching tie and pants.

His opponent, using the white chess pieces, was different from the opponents who frequent this place. He was Japanese, but that wasn't all that stood out about him. His dark brown hair was styled in a very extravagant spiky hairstyle with massive dreadlocks. His attire added to the oddity of the twenty-year-old man as he wore three layers of shirts, the top one being an old green uniform jacket, the second one being a ruffled white shirt, and his third layer is a small yellow short-sleeve shirt. Completing his attire, he wore a brown haramaki and uses a yellow rope as his belt with brown sandals on his feet.

"Oh, thank goodness you are here!" The older man exclaimed happily at Lelouch's arrival, "is everything going well at school."

As the man literally leaped for joy at Lelouch's arrival hurrying to greet him, but Lelouch focused his eyes on his opponent. He was surprised that it wasn't a nobleman, but he didn't look like anyone that would justify him coming down to replace the old man, Mr. Vendeur, although Lelouch did need to recall that he was a terrible chess player.

"You are not the usual noble I am asked to challenge," Lelouch said, raising an eyebrow, wondering how this guy was giving Mr. Vendeur such difficulty.

"That's because I am the Ultimate Clairvoyant, Yasuhiro Hagakure, pleased to me ya!"

The man's laid-back nature was different from the arrogance Lelouch was familiar with, but still, Lelouch was dumbfounded as to how someone like him could be a competent chess player.

"Are you a student of Hope's Peak Academy?" Junko inquired; although like Lelouch, she was doubtful about whatever chess skill Yasuhiro had.

"He is," the reply came from a man sitting at the small bar in the corner of the private room, "he starts class with the new 78th class at the end of the week."

The man seated at the bear was strangely relaxed, but this was likely because he was borderline drunk. He was wearing a white tuxedo with a green undershirt and a black vest, with a blue and grayish tie. Atop of his ragged medium-length blonde hair, he wore a white hat with a black decoration going around the circumference near the flap. He also has blue eyes and a pencil-thin mustache and goatee.

"Oh, I know this guy," Junko said, recognizing him, "He's Kohichi Kizakura one of Hope's Peak Academy's scouts, but he works part-time as a homeroom teacher."

"And I remember you Miss Enoshima, but I am no longer a homeroom teacher, so I am a talent scout full time," Kohichi said before downing another shot of whiskey.

"I am sure your drinking habits had something to do with that." Junko pointed out.

Kohichi laughed it off, only because it was right, but he pointed to Lelouch.

"So you are Lelouch Lamperouge huh. A lovely Miss Ludenberg spoke quite highly of you when I was evaluating her for Hope's Peak Academy for enrollment as a student."

"You mean Celestia?" The former prince asked prompting Kohichi to nod his head in confirmation before he downed another shot of whiskey.

Celestia Ludenberg was a famous gambler but was primarily encountered in many underground gambling rings who was almost a legend in her own right for winning virtually any game where gambling was involved from poker to even dangerous tournaments with incredibly high stakes like Russian Roulette. The only person who also stood a chance against her and had beaten her on occasion was Lelouch.

When it came to chess or games that relied on strategy, Lelouch was virtually unstoppable, but Celestia had managed to win against Lelouch a few times if just barely. Even so, her number of losses to Lelouch was MUCH higher than her victories against him, so she had tried to challenge him to card games. He was capable at poker but found that he was remarkably good at other card games like Bullshit and Asshole.

Beyond that, they were on friendly terms as Lelouch considered the only person in the gambling world of Area 11 capable of challenging him.

"She spoke very highly of you when I asked her if there was anyone who had ever bested her."

"I am not surprised about that, but that explains why you are here isn't it, to see me in action."

"Yep!"

"I should warn you I can see the future so I know every move you'll make and if you lose you can to pay up!" Yasuhiro bragged with the usual arrogant confidence, but Junko looked down at the chess board and found that the old man before Lelouch's arrival had left his chess pieces and the game as a whole in a VERY sorry state. For anyone, the chances of winning were less than three percent, but for Lelouch, the odds were much higher.

"I give this game around five minutes, maybe less," Junko replied, having determined how this game will end.

"Ending in a complete victory for me!" The fortune-teller exclaimed, followed by a laugh.

"No…that is how long Lelouch should need to mop the floor with you," Junko replied with a confident smile. "So I suggest that YOU should be ready to pay up!"

* * *

" _Lelouch won,_ _obviously,_ _" Mukuro asked, interrupting Junko for a brief moment._

" _Of course idiot, but what is important right now is my talk with Kohichi!"_

* * *

Junko didn't need to watch the chess match because the result was a foregone conclusion. Instead, she was engaged in a conversation with Kohichi as she sat on one of the stools at the bar facing him.

"So to think I would find the Ultimate Fashionista here of all places," Kohichi said before casting a glance at Lelouch. "Be honest is Lelouch the reason you and sister left Hope's Peak Academy in a sudden departure that made headlines?"

The blonde haired woman considered answering or not before finally, "Maybe because the academy was mind-numbingly boring."

"An interesting choice of words," Kohichi said before drinking more whiskey, this time from the bottle, before putting it down. "The school hasn't found anyone to fill your former titles so if Lelouch were to enroll would you consider coming back?"

"If he goes, then we go with him is what you want to hear?"

The older man took another sip before answering, "I am sure the headmaster and the committee would be happy to have you two back along with a new talented student."

Besides the headmaster, the day-to-day operations and enrollment decisions are overseen by the Steering Committee. Before Japan became Area 11, the committee held the real power in Hope's Peak Academy having sometimes overruled administration decisions and even enrolled students of their own choice. At first glance, most assume them to be wealthy businessmen, but the truth is that they are researchers who were determined to cultivate and research talent. In fact, Hope's Peak Academy doubled as a research facility that specializes in the study of different skills so it could be determined how to best cultivate and enrich those skills.

Or so they claimed publicly at least.

"I am sure they would be."

After that Junko and Kohichi heard what sounded like a girl screaming before realizing it came from Yasuhiro. The older high school student broke down into tears as Lelouch grinned triumphantly as he achieved checkmate after a one-sided slaughter.

"Wow," Junko said before checking the nearest clock, "you ripped him apart a LOT faster than I was expecting."

"I guess your ability to read the future isn't as impressive as you claim," Lelouch replied, but on the one hand felt insulted because he was hoping for a good challenge. Instead who he had just beaten had the skill level of a young child confusing checkers for chess.

 _How the hell did he,_ Lelouch thought, glancing at the older noble, _have such a hard time with this...idiot?_

Lelouch decided against thinking about it too much since it would've hurt his brain more thinking about it. It didn't help matters that Yasuhiro was crying and wailing like a spoiled child who just lost everything.

"Now that I won you should just pay me."

"Uh well...uh, I can't," Yasuhiro managed in-between sobs. "I need that money to save myself from the Kuzuryu Clan."

Lelouch was almost scared to ask, but his curiosity got the better of him.

"What the hell did you do?"

Back before Japan became Area 11 the former prince had heard about the infamous Kuzuryu Clan, Japan's most influential Yakuza family with over thirty thousand members. Even after Japan became Area 11 and other Yakuza gangs fell to the occupational government the Kuzuryu Clan remained. Its power and influence have never waned, which some suspect was thanks in part to having strong ties with Britannian crime families and syndicates as it did with others around the world.

"Well," Yasuhiro began, "I had an appointment come in, the youngest daughter of the Kuzuryu Clan's current head, and maybe I _pressured_ her to pull out her entire life savings."

Lelouch was utterly dumbfounded including Junko and Kohichi whose higher brain functions suffered a complete shut down upon hearing that.

"You ripped off the daughter of the leader of Area 11's most dangerous crime family?" Lelouch asked, trying to comprehend how this idiot was still alive.

The former prince had heard some stories about the youngest daughter of the Kuzuryu Clan current leader. She had attended the reserve course of Hope's Peak Academy until last year a student tried to murder her, but luckily her father had someone keeping an eye on her, so they intervened according to some of the rumors he heard.

The student was swiftly arrested and executed by the Britannian authorities since the grounds of the school were under the direct jurisdiction of the homeland and by extension the Emperor, so any crimes that happen are dealt with far more severely.

Junko was the first to recover and quickly sent off a text message she typed behind her back so one could see it.

"Why not just pay them back the money?" Kohichi inquired.

"I spent all of it to build a huge collection of OOPArts."

"Out-of-place-artifacts?" Kohichi said having heard the term before.

"Yeah the stuff they find in ancient civilizations, but with no explanation how it could've gotten there. Like the crystal skulls, the golden airplanes of Colombia, the Baghdad Battery, those Nazca geoglyphs, just to name a few." Yashiro explained before pulling out a crystal ball.

"Don't tell me that is one as well," Lelouch asked, knowing he wouldn't like the answer.

"This unbreakable crystal ball was found in the city of Atlantis said to grant its possessor great power include the chance to dominate the world, having been by the likes of Genghis Khan, Napoleon, and others." Yasuhiro said with pride, "I spent a one million for it."

If this had a world ruled by the physics of loony cartoons, this is where Lelouch's jaw would've dropped to crash through the floor comically.

"How the hell did you get that kind of money?" Lelouch asked as his eyebrow began violently twitching.

"I charged people twenty-five thousand a reading."

 _And people actually PAID for it!?_

Lelouch was too shocked by the revelation to think correctly as his mind was trying in vain to comprehend how such an idiot earned that much money.

"Why don't you just sell some of your crap, then problem solved." Junko pointed out.

"Are you crazy, I would never sell my collection. I had to do a lot of online shopping and even some browsing through the black market for some of it." Yasuhiro snapped back getting defensive.

"Then how the hell are you having so much trouble paying off the Kuzuryu Clan?" Lelouch asked, his voice growing, with his tone of voice indicating he was close to losing his temper.

"Look could you give me some money or sell me some of your organs? Or sell me your identity!" The so-called Ultimate Clairvoyant said with his hands clasped together begging.

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Lelouch roar as the display finally led to Lelouch losing his temper.

"How the hell were you even born? The title Ultimate Idiot is more fitting." Junko said as couldn't understand how someone like him.

"He...was held back for four years." Kohichi reluctantly pointed out. "But his predictions are correct thirty percent of the time."

"That isn't helping his case." The blonde haired teen replied.

At that moment the men in the black suits seized Yasuhiro by the shoulder before hauling him out of the room as the Ultimate Clairvoyant continued to beg and plead until he was dragged onto the elevator to be kicked out of the building.

"How did that idiot even get in here?" Junko demanded before looking to the elderly nobleman who merely hung his head down in shame.

"Well, how about I give Mr. Lamperouge a shot," Kohichi said before leaving behind the bottle of whiskey to assume the seat Yasuhiro had been in until moments ago. "If you want a challenge then I can provide it because a scout for the academy has to test every potential student."

Lelouch was doubtful, although Kohichi wasn't wholly drunk Lelouch saw signs that Kohichi was mildly intoxicated, as he asked.

"I am not convinced, but I would be willing to do a rain check until you are sober."

"I think I might surprise you kid."

* * *

Meanwhile, outside in the back alley behind the building was Yasuhiro after he was not so kindly booted from the building. He was busy dusting himself off before another group of men in black suits arrived on the scene.

They were not gentle by any means when they seized Yasuhiro, who panicked upon realizing who the men were with when he noticed a pin on the lapel on the suit of one of the men.

The men were members of the Kuzuryu Clan.

"Look, I'll have the money; please just me some more time."

The men from the Kuzuryu Clan ignored him as they dragged away a sobbing Yasuhiro before forcing him into the back of a waiting black car with tinted windows.

Yasuhiro would never realize that Junko had secretly sent a text message to Monaca asking if she would inform the Kuzuryu Clan that Yasuhiro was here, so upon receiving word they likely dispatched those in the general area to be ready to intercept and capture him.

* * *

Back inside Lelouch and Kohichi engaged in a chess match, but unlike the game between Lelouch and Yasuhiro, the former prince was facing a capable challenger despite his oblivious drinking problem.

"For someone who went through a whole bottle of whiskey since I'll have been here you are playing an impressive game," Lelouch commented as he moved another piece.

"I am many things," Kohichi began as he moved his piece. "Even though I was hardly cut out to be a teacher, I have proven to be very good at spotting talented students."

 _It also seems your intuition and intellect are not diminished no matter how much you had to drink it seems._ Lelouch before he moved his knight.

The game continued, although each player made their move as soon as their turn came it was becoming clear that Lelouch had all but claimed victory. Even through Kohichi was putting forth a good effort in stopping Lelouch and retaliating, but the former prince had already planned more than twenty moves ahead. It was just a question how long Kohichi would last before Lelouch had him in checkmate.

"Mind answering something for me?" The older man replied, "Why did you move the king first? You did the same thing with your match involving Yasuhiro."

"If the king doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?"

"A motto to live by?"

"You could say that," Lelouch answered.

"So would you be interested in attending Hope's Peak Academy?"

Lelouch considered that, although he wouldn't be close to Nunnally as he would prefer the campus of Hope's Peak was located in the middle of Tokyo so he wouldn't be too far away.

However, Lelouch saw an opportunity to investigate Hope's Peak Academy to determine if it had any kind of secret projects the school was conducting for Britannia suspecting something of that nature was happening given all of the privileges the Empire has given the academy that struck Lelouch as odd. It would perhaps even allow Lelouch to find and recruit talented individuals for his rebellion against Britannia.

The only problem that could arise would be opposition from the Ashford Family.

"I would be interested in attending, but I have a disabled younger sister attending middle school at Ashford Academy so would it be possible for me to commute to school every day?"

"Of course, there is no rule saying you have to live in the dorms."

"Any chance Mukuro and I could be in the same class as Lelouch?" Junko asked.

"That's not my call, but I'll ask the headmaster about it."

"It will be nice to be in a class with some familiar faces," Lelouch commented with a smile before declaring, "checkmate."

"Well, then congratulations and welcome to Hope's Peak Ultimate Strategist."

* * *

A short time later Junko and Lelouch were on the way back to Ashford Academy after the latter had been given the proper forms he would need to finish the registration process, although the background check concerned him. Lelouch would just need to ensure there would be no holes in his background that could lead to Hope's Peak Academy from discovering any information that could lead to his true identity being discovered.

Still, the fact that attendance wasn't mandatory would open up Lelouch's schedule enabling him to have more time for himself instead of being caught up in the dull life of a high school student.

 _Only the matter of the Ashford Family blocking my admittance would be a problem, but._

Lelouch was still concerned about Milly's mother, and even if the Ashford Family agreed to let him go to Hope's Peak Academy, he didn't feel comfortable with leaving Nunnally at Ashford Academy unless Elena Ashford was dealt with.

"Uh," Junko said nonchalantly as she looking over her shoulder, "Lelouch you might want to focus on the road because we got a big truck coming up behind us!"

"WHAT," Lelouch responded in surprise as he looked over his shoulder to see a truck coming up on them fast.

The trunk honked its horn before turning off the highway and heading straight into an abandoned construction site, but the truck was traveling too fast when it drove onto the dirt surrounding the construction site. The driver lost control and prowled into the unfinished building coming to a complete halt.

Lelouch pulled the bike over to the side of the road to check out the crash.

"Now that wasn't our fault by any means," Junko said after climbing out of the sidecar.

"Of course not," the former prince replied, but something from the crash caught his eye, "but what was that?"

He saw it only briefly, but if he had to describe it, Lelouch would call it some kind of glittering light. No one had seemed to have seen it, especially as a crowd had already begun to gather. His curiosity turned to irritation as the people who had gathered were more interested in gawking at the crash and placing blame than actually doing something about it.

Putting the helmet, he had been wearing into the sidecar Lelouch rushed off to go investigate the crash to check if the driver was alright.

"Really," the young woman was clearly annoyed, "you are doing that Good Samarian crap again? One of these days it's going to land you in trouble."

Junko didn't want to wait so she followed after Lelouch because she reasoned that the sooner Lelouch finished the sooner they could head back to the academy. Lelouch arrived first but found that he couldn't reach the cab of the truck because the impact of the crash caused some steel beams and some sheets of metal to fall down around it. His only option would be to use the ladder on the trailer it was hauling to reach the cab to check if the driver was alright.

"Are you alright!" Lelouch called out once more, even though his previous attempts failed to be heard, before climbing up the ladder.

"Maybe you call 911 already? The driver is probably out cold," Junko said as she climbed up the ladder following Lelouch.

"Still I better make sure, and the 911 operator will probably want information on the driver's condition," Lelouch said as he stood on the roof noticing an open hatch in the top of the trailer. Junko climbed up onto the roof and began looking down the opening as well.

Strangely, at that moment Lelouch heard a voice echo in his mind.

" _It's you…_ _finally,_ _I have found—"_

 _What was that?_

Lelouch wasn't given much time to ponder on it as the truck suddenly reserved backward before turning to speed off. This caused both Junko and Lelouch to fall into the trailer with the latter hitting the ground first and Junko landing on top of him. For a brief moment, Junko blushed as she landed on top of Lelouch who was just as surprised as she was, but the two teens quickly recovered from falling in a rather compromising position.

"You know I just knew that Good Samaritan act of yours would get you in trouble," Junko commented before getting up and then offering a hand to Lelouch.

"Give it a rest," Lelouch replied before accepting said hand, allowing Junko to pull him back up to his feet, "it's not like we're in that much trouble."

Either it was fate or because of Lelouch's words a pair of soldiers, in presumably VTOL gunships, could be heard on loudspeakers built into their craft shouting demands at the speeding truck.

"Stop the vehicle!"

"Stop the vehicle and surrender then you might just get the chance to defend yourself in court. If you don't stop and surrender!" The soldier shouted before firing his gunship's machine gun at the truck hitting the road behind it. "Then we'll shoot to kill!"

Junko merely shot Lelouch a look with both arms folded across her chest.

"Not a word," Lelouch said before quickly changing the subject, "but we'll make it out of this."

"Obviously climbing up to the top of the trailer will either result in us getting shot, and jumping off will just get us killed too," Junko said, laying out their options which were far too limited for any of them to really work.

"I know that, but," Lelouch was about to say, but heard the sound of the door leading into the driver's cab unlocking prompting both teens to hide behind a giant machine near the cab of the truck.

They silently hid and observed a young redhead girl, with spiked up red hair and blue eyes, who appeared to be the same age as Junko and Lelouch walk out before proceeding to remove a light blue coat she had been wearing revealing a much more revealing outfit underneath. She wore a brown vest-shorts combination with a red sleeveless turtleneck top that left her midriff exposed. She wore a redhead began, long red leg warmers, black shoes and white coverings on her arms that were not attached to her current outfit.

"Can you enter the subway via the Azabu Route?"

"Kallen, why don't we use it here?" The driver of the truck called out.

"Because that would mean a bloodbath," Kallen Kozuki replied sharply before boarding what Junko and Lelouch realized to be the cockpit of a Glasgow Knightmare Frame kneeling down in a powered down position. The two remained quiet until the Glasgow launched as it began attacking the gunships pursuing the truck before the rear doors of the trailer the vehicle was hauling closed once the red painted machine departed.

"Isn't that Kallen Stadtfeld?" Junko said, recognizing the young woman.

"Yeah, I knew I recognized her from somewhere. She seems so different," Lelouch said in agreement as the two had seen Kallen Stadtfeld in passing, so neither of them knew her personally. Kallen had a reputation around Ashford Academy for being a sickly young woman who is unable to take part in sports or any physical activity. Her weak state has also resulted in her being out of school for extended periods because of sickness or something related to it.

"I guess this lends credence to the truth that she is a half-blood because I don't think any daughter of a Britannian Noble would've thrown in their lot with a resistance cell so easily given the high-life they could live."

"True," Lelouch replied in agreement before adding, "but I am sure she has other reasons, and there is also the possibility she is being hitched to someone she doesn't like. Even though I think she probably favors the Japanese side of her family more than her Britannian one, or just enough to push her into joining a resistance cell."

* * *

As Lelouch and Junko worked to escape without getting killed a detachment of the garrison in the Tokyo Settlement was being mobilized to find and destroy their hideout. It might've seemed like overkill to some to deploy a detachment of the city's garrison, consisting of around sixty Sutherlands, the royal guard, numerous tank and armored vehicles, including helicopter gunships to a ghetto holding the base of a small ragtag resistance group.

However, considering the precarious position, Clovis la Britannia was in due to his failings in recent weeks some saw these actions as the soon-to-be former Viceroy not taking any chances. Those much closer to the truth of the matter would offer a different reason that has actually left Clovis in a state of panic, but there was someone else who saw an opportunity.

"Ah ha."

The man who saw an opportunity was in his late twenties wearing a white lab coat with a high collar with black pants and matching shoes wearing glasses. He had light blue hair with matching blue eyes, although how casual and laid back he was hiding his determination for his creation to see some real combat.

"What are you doing?"

The man who asked was the number two of Area 11 and Clovis's right-hand man in every sense.

General Bartley Asprius was a heavy if not slightly overweight with a balding head with a small pencil mustache on his face. He had a light brown skin tone that matched well with the color of his attire. He wore a monocle over one of his blue eyes. He wore a gray military uniform with a matching cape that had a red interior with black boots.

"I am just looking at a man who blundered that's all." Lloyd Asplund answered before addressing his glasses. "I mean terrorists just came in and stole whatever you and Prince Clovis were working on. Recovering it is simple, but let them escape, then you can follow them to mop up the rest of them."

Watching the exchange between them was a young woman in her early twenties with medium length blue hair and light blue eyes, wearing an orange military uniform with a skirt and a black tie and a white dress shirt. Stand next to her was a teenager of seventeen with a small, lithe stature and doll-like appearance. She possessed short, light brown, layered hair and hazel eyes. The girl was dressed in a girls' winter school uniform set, featuring a long-sleeved dark green jacket, a white shirt with a large Peter Pan collar. The rest of the outfit was secured with a thin dark ribbon and suspenders. The last of the girl's attire consisted of a box-pleated brown mid-thigh length brown skirt, knee-high black socks, and white Mary Jane's with ribbons on them.

Lloyd suddenly turned around to his assistant Cecile Croomy.

"Congratulations your reasoning was spot on."

"Oh," Cecile began modestly, "I thought it was strange that's all."

"Ok that's enough," Bartley began having grown impatient and annoyed with Lloyd, "what does the Special Corps want out of this?"

"I am saying that I want to merely assist with the cleanup."

"To assist?"

"Correct, because its data I want," Lloyd replied.

"Excuse me, but what did the terrorists steal anyway?" Cecile inquired curiously about the nature of the object the terrorists had taken.

Bartley was noticeably hesitant, but he relented, "Chemical Weapons, in other words, poison gas."

"I see, so we'll meet you there," Lloyd said as if the matter of terrorists obtaining poison gas had any real meaning.

As Lloyd began to walk away followed by Cecile and the youngest of the group following them spoke up because the teen had some grave concerns about the poison gas.

"Is it true the terrorists have poison gas then won't we," Chihiro Fujisaki said worriedly if the gas were used it would kill hundreds if not possibly thousands depending on where it was released.

"Don't worry about that Chihiro I am sure that story about poison gas is a lie, but it doesn't matter since it isn't our business. We'll finally have a chance to deploy the Lancelot." Lloyd answered; although he knew better to poke his nose around in what members of royalty did he knew a cover-up when he saw one. "All we need is a pilot."

* * *

The interior of the trailer had grown dark, which Lelouch and Junko credited to the fact the truck was now traveling along the old subway lines heading for the ghetto. The lack of cell phone reception also confirmed this, but where exactly the damaged vehicle was driving to was unknown. Unknown to Lelouch the cell phone Junko had was still working as the latter had sent off a text message when Lelouch distracted to Monaca telling her to dispatch the Warriors of Hope.

Junko deduced they were heading for the Shinjuku Ghetto before entering the subway tunnel, so she sent the text that included both her location and instructions.

Suddenly the entire truck shook as it hit something.

"An accident?"

"Probably since a lot of these subway tunnels are falling apart," Junko commented.

The two teens were unaware of the fact that the wounded driver of the truck, who had injured by enemy Sutherland in passing, had crashed the vehicle into a hole in the road. It was lucky that the vehicle did not fall into the hole, but it wasn't going anywhere. The driver was too weak from his wounds to leave, so he hit a switch in the driver's cabin to open the side door of the trailer.

Junko and Lelouch hid in the back of the truck waiting to see if anyone was boarding the stuck vehicle.

"This looks like our chance to escape," Lelouch said carefully moving towards the open door trying to peer outside to see if anyone was there. "It's clear…let's go before..."

As Lelouch stood in the doorway, a Britannian soldier suddenly came flying through the air delivering a swift spin kick knocking Lelouch to the ground. Junko was already scrambling to find a weapon. Lelouch was quickly overpowered and pinned to the ground by the soldier as the former prince struggled in vain against his attacker.

"That's enough mindless murder!" The soldier snapped as his gas mask dropped from his mouth.

"Wait I am not." The former prince struggled to say, but the soldier interrupted him.

"Trying to use poison gas," the soldier said before snapping, "DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME!"

"GET OFF OF ME!" Lelouch roared before managing to use one of his legs to kick his attacker, but he merely jumped away allowing Lelouch to get back up to his feet.

"I am not here by choice," the former prince said before standing up fully again, "and if that's poison gas then it was made in Britannia wasn't it?"

The soldier seemed shocked at the revelation, but as Junko prepared to leap out and attack hoping to land a lucky hit, Lelouch pushed his verbal advantage stepping out of the shadows of the trailer's interior and into the light.

"Mindless murder," the former prince snapped back before adding as his anger reached its peak, "then why don't you just obliterate Britannia?!"

Following a tense silence, the soldier began removing his helmet as he said, "Lelouch."

The soldier took off his helmet to reveal an older Suzaku Kururugi.

"It's me, Suzaku."

Lelouch was understandably surprised since this was indeed the last place where you would meet a friend, and even Junko was surprised by this turn of events causing her to step out from behind the poison gas container holding a lead pipe she had managed to find.

"Well, this is the last place we never would've thought we see you at."

"Junko!" Suzaku said, who was just as equally surprised to see not only another old friend but the fact that one of Area 11's most famous fashion model in the most unlikely place no one would've expected.

"You became a Britannian Soldier?" Lelouch asking the most obvious question as Junko joined Lelouch.

"Yeah, but what about you? Did you become…"

Lelouch quickly interrupted him, but his tone indicated that he was angry with Suzaku for assuming he was with the terrorists, "You better not be implying I-"

The trio was interrupted with a sparking sound could be heard from the presumed to be poison gas capsule as various locked on the sphere-like device became undone prompting Suzaku to tackle Lelouch to the ground putting his gas mask over the former prince's face. Instead of poison gas, the capsule opened revealing a young woman, roughly around their age, to be inside. She was tied and bound by the straps of her white Britannian Prisoner suit that was designed after a straightjacket. Beyond that, she had long green hair, yellow eyes, and fair skin.

"That's not poison gas," Suzaku said before he was verbally attacked by an apparently annoyed Junko.

"Well no shit-Sherlock," Junko snapped, "and why did you save Lelouch over me. I mean I am the beautiful woman so shouldn't the solider have saved me you asshole!"

"Huh," Suzaku could only say realizing and understanding why Junko was upset as the latter looked ready to be on the verge of tears.

"You were faking it of course," Mukuro commented back in real-time interrupting the story briefly.

"Hell yeah, but I would be lying if I didn't say it is fucking fun to screw with Suzaku," Junko answered while briefly adopting her own alternate personality she made based on that a foul-mouth punk.

"I am sorry Junko, but I only had one mask so…"

"So you wanted to save the guy over the girl." Junko said before she began crying, "I didn't think you were into that kind of thing."

"What do you mean?" The Japanese teenager asked, but at the same time, a part of him felt like he was going to regret asking that.

Thankfully Lelouch intervened.

"Can we FOCUS?!" Lelouch snapped interrupting them after getting back to his feet to examine the girl who had just been freed. "Tell me the truth Suzaku! Poison gas, this girl?"

"Hey, it's what they told us in the briefing," Suzaku said before picking up the girl to remove her from the capsule and then with some help from Lelouch managed to lay her on the ground outside of the truck to tend to her. After her initial release the girl was conscious, but only briefly before passing out.

"Well, that's a bad sign!" Junko said as her mood quickly shifted back to normal. "I guess somebody has a secret."

Realization dawned on Lelouch as he was already helping Suzaku undo the bindings of the straightjacket as the latter had already loosened the restraints on her legs. He rested the girl's head down on the ground gently, after releasing the bindings around her mouth that were covered by the high collar of the suit she was dressed in.

"Damn it," Lelouch cursed, "we need to leave now."

Unfortunately, it was too late as a series of lights lit up shinning on the damaged truck.

"Stinking Monkey!"

Before the spotlights that had been set up to illuminate the tunnel was a group consisting of heavily armed soldiers, but unlike Suzaku, they were not grunts or low ranking soldiers. Their red uniforms indicated they were members of the royal guard who reported directly to the Viceroy. Their leader, who had dark blue eyes and light blue eyes with a small scar under his eye, was the leader and Suzaku's superior.

"Being an Honorary Britannian will not excuse you."

"But," Suzaku said, scrambling to his superior's side, "I thought this was poison gas."

"How dare you question orders?!"

Junko and Lelouch already realized where this was going, although Suzaku likely wanted to believe otherwise, there was no doubt they were going to be killed for whatever secret the Viceroy wished to be covered up. However, both knew if they tried to run they would just get gunned down.

"However, in light of your accomplishments, I am going to be lenient," the Royal Guard captain said before offering Suzaku a handgun, "Private Kururugi take this and execute the terrorists."

Suzaku was horrified as he protested, "Sir, he isn't a terrorist. He's a civilian who just got mixed up in this."

"Insubordinate," The older man had begun to say something else, but he caught himself before calming down. "That's an order. Didn't you swear your life and fealty to Britannia?"

"Yes, but I can't."

Suzaku turned to Lelouch, but Junko knew what was about to happen.

"I can't shoot a civilian, so I can't follow your orders."

"Very well," The royal guard captain replied casually before shooting Suzaku in the back.

"Suzaku!" Lelouch cried out.

* * *

"Suzaku was killed," a surprised Mukuro inquired.

"Yeah," Junko began, but this time she adopted another created personality of her being extremely depressed and gloomy with dark bags under eyes with her eyes seemingly gazed over. She also had multicolored mushrooms on top of her head. "I mean we all just met again after seven years just to see him get shot in the back. We lost an old friend today; oh the despair Lelouch must've felt. Even I never experienced it, so it was some new and sweet."

Suddenly Junko's personality shifted again reverting back to her base personality as the mushrooms flew off her head after a popping sound was heard.

"Anyway, after Mr. Blind Optimist got sent to his maker those royal guards were about to gun us down before," Junko was explaining while drawing the next picture. Once the drawing was done, she showed it to Mukuro displaying what Junko explained next in a crudely drawn cartoon fashion. "So in a stroke of good luck for us I guess the driver was still alive, so he blew up the truck to deny the royal guard that capsule thing they took."

The picture showed Junko, Lelouch and the girl running away as the truck exploded knocking the guards back.

"We managed to lose them in the tunnels and escape, but soon we had a new problem."

Junko drew a new picture, but this time it showed Junko, Lelouch, and the girl underground while above giant Sutherlands and huge explosions tore apart Shinjuku Ghetto.

"I guess Clovis started freaking out, so he ordered the entire ghetto to be leveled along with everyone else living there."

* * *

After the mysterious girl tripped, falling to the ground the group came to a stop in the middle of an old underground shopping center located near one of the abandoned subway stations Lelouch leaned against a wall, placing one hand on his forehead.

"What the hell are you?!" Lelouch demanded of the green haired girl while his voice could barely contain his rage and grief over Suzaku's death. "All of this chaos is your fault, isn't it? They even…killed Suzaku."

Junko smiled, but she was careful not to let Lelouch or the mysterious girl notice it.

A short time later the trio found stairs leading back up to above ground. Lelouch cautiously went first while keeping low to the ground as he risked much to take a look around to see if the warehouse the stairs lead up was empty.

The sound of gunfire answered that question.

Lelouch quickly retreated into the stairwell before hearing the voice of the man who shot Suzaku.

"Report," the captain demanded as he and the rest of the men following under his command stood before a dozen corpses of civilians who had been gunned down.

"We found nothing here except for Elevens sir," one of the royal guards reported.

"Are you sure? This is where the exit should've been?"

"Yes, sir, it matches up with our map of the old city."

The sound of a child crying was heard before the child was forever silenced with gunfire from one of the royal guards.

Lelouch, Junko, and the girl didn't make a sound, but as the Royal Guard was about to leave.

*RING RING*

* * *

"Lelouch's cell phone went off," Junko said as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Damn that Shirley, but it's more of Lelouch's fault for overlooking something like that."

"Then the Royal Guards caught all of you?"

"Yeah, and once they grabbed us, we got shoved against a wall to be executed," Junko said as a blush appeared on her cheeks. "Although the despair during that moment as the feeling of facing what should've been our inevitable demise was wonderful. I think it got soured by the fact that this was a lame way for me to go."

"Yet how did both of you survive?"

Junko changed personalities again, but this time in one instance her pigtails became one thick ponytail before putting on a pair of glasses. She acted as intellectual with an air of clinical sophistication about her.

"How that happened was because something happened that defied all logic and was far beyond anything I could've predicted."

* * *

With literally their backs to the wall Junko stood behind Lelouch while the green haired girl was being held at gunpoint by two members of the royal guard.

"What an appropriate location for a terrorist to meet his end." The leader of the royal guards mocked.

"You scum," Lelouch snapped back defiantly, but no matter what he knew he didn't have a way out.

"Still, you did well for a student, but that's to be expected. You're a Britannian. Unfortunately, my clever young friend, you have no future." The leader said leveling a handgun at Lelouch, "At least you'll die alongside a pretty girl."

Suddenly, as the captain fired the gun, the green haired girl broke free to shield him crying out. "he mustn't die!"

The girl was hit in the head, killing her instantly before her body crumbled at Lelouch's feet.

"You shot her!" Lelouch called out kneeling down before her corpse.

"Our orders were to bring her back alive if possible." The captain was visibly annoyed with happened but changed his tune after a moment. "Oh well, nothing can be done about it now. We'll tell our superiors that the Royal Guard found the terrorist hideout and killed them all. Regrettably, the female hostage had already been tortured to death. What do you think schoolboy?"

Even though the despair of facing death had an appeal to Junko, how it came about and the fact it was an unspectacular ending to it all did sour it a little.

Yet in the corner of her eye, Junko saw something that should've been impossible. The girl who had been shot moments ago seized one of Lelouch's hands as the despair of his impending death was setting in.

 _What the hell?!_

In the moment that followed Junko felt a cold chill run up her spine. However, it wasn't coming from the men with their guns aimed at her.

It was coming from Lelouch who had become unsettlingly calm.

Lelouch rose back up to his feet a moment later with one hand over his left eye and a sudden change in attitude that left Junko wondering if the threat of death caused him to go crazy.

"Say, how should a Britannian who detests his own country live his life?"

The guard captain was ready to shoot Lelouch when he asked, "Are you some kind of radical? Huh?"

That was when the Britannian Office noticed something different.

"What's wrong? Why not shoot? Your opponent is just a schoolboy. Or have you finally realized;" Lelouch removed his hand from his eye, revealing a red light glowing there, "the only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed!"

"What's happening here?!"

"I, Lelouch vi Britannia," Lelouch said as he extended his left arm forward before sweeping it to the side as he said, "command you! Now, all of you…DIE!"

What Junko witnessed next would leave her utterly speechless as she saw the leader of the royal guard begin laughing madly as he and his men were overcome by Lelouch's new power.

"Happily, Your Highness!"

Every member of the royal guard placed their pistols to their necks before their leader commanded.

"Fire!"

In that instant, every Royal Guardsman died instantly as they all fell to the ground with their faces carrying frozen smile as Lelouch's order compelled them to end their own lives. Even Lelouch was in shock as if he wasn't expecting that, as he looked upon the dead royal guards before him.

Junko, who had witnessed it all before her eyes couldn't comprehend what just happened. This was something the Ultimate Analyst couldn't understand nor find a clear answer to the apparently supernatural phenomenon she witnessed.

 _That girl did something, but how was she still alive long enough to do that?_

"Don't worry Junko," Lelouch said sounding rather calm considering what he had just done, although it was just as much of a surprise for him as well, but he had collected himself and was already thinking about the possibilities his new power gave him. "This is just a turning point in my life, and now I have what I need to push up my timetable much sooner than I had planned."

"What the hell happened?"

Lelouch paused for a moment as a thoughtful expression appeared on his face, "To be honest I am not entirely sure nor do I know how to best describe what this power…this Geass she gave me is or why she gave it to me. She said in exchange for it I have to grant her one wish, but I don't know what it is."

Before the discussion could go further, a Sutherland came crashing through the warehouse. The pilot was quick to notice the corpses of the Britannian Royal Guards before seeing Lelouch and Junko.

"What happened here boy, and what is a Britannian student like you doing here?" The female pilot of the Sutherland demanded through an external speaker mounted on her machine.

Lelouch didn't respond at first, but this only made the pilot of the Sutherland impatient.

"Are you deaf, answer or I'll," the woman snapped before firing her Sutherland's assault rifle at Lelouch putting holes into the wall above his head.

Lelouch attempted to use his Geass power, "I order you to come out!"

"Who the hell are you, thinking you can order me around?"

 _Of_ _course,_ _it only works with eye contact._

The former prince held up his hands in a fake surrender while gesturing for Junko to do the same, "My name is Alan Spacer, my father is a duke. My I.D. is in my breast pocket; after you confirm who I am, I'll request your protection for myself and my companion."

A few moments of silence passed, but both Lelouch and Junko knew that no Britannian pilot would risk killing a child of nobility since the risks of execution depending on how well connected the noble family in question was. The cockpit hatch of the Sutherland opened before a young woman with mocha skin tone wearing a somewhat revealing purple and gold trim pilot suit that left her forearms and thighs exposed with long black gloves and matching boots. She had yellow eyes and long silver hair tied into a ponytail.

She leveled a gun at Lelouch as she disembarked the Knightmare Frame.

"Hands in the air, I'll pull out your I.D." Villetta Nu commanded, but the moment she began to approach Lelouch cast his Geass on her.

"Now then hand over your Knightmare Frame to me along with your gun, but then you'll forget about ever seeing me and my companion afterward," Lelouch commanded right before his Geass took effect snaring Villetta under its power.

"Understood," Villetta began as she handed her gun towards Lelouch, "the code is XG21G2D4."

"Got it, let's go Junko."

* * *

"After Lelouch and I got into that woman's Knightmare Frame and took off, but now we had to work out a way to escape," Junko said pausing from her story to draw another series of pictures for Mukuro.

"That was when you called me right?"

"Yep and Lelouch did confirm that with traffic restrictions in place the military was trying to control how much information about what was going on could get out. They were limited to whatever troops they brought and couldn't call in reinforcements without too many questions being asked," Junko answered before showing a picture of a train full of Knightmare Frames being delivered to crudely drawn characters meant to be the local resistance cell.

Pulling the picture away from view Junko readied another one.

"With a game plan in mind, Lelouch with a little help from yours truly began stealing Sutherlands from other pilots we were able to lure out. Then with a little unwilling help, we loaded them into a train and set it on a course to be met by the local resistance cell." The Ultimate Despair explained before forgetting to add, "Oh did I forget we took out another Sutherland chasing the red Glasgow? He must've been quite surprised when we nailed his ass."

Junko showed a picture of a Sutherland being hit by slash harkens that were fired from the machine Lelouch was using while hiding in a building overlooking the train tracks.

"We took out the guy's partner before disabling him, but the pilot bailed before the one-armed red Glasgow piloted by Kallen could get him."

Mukuro remembered something, and so she suspected that when Lelouch was gathering Sutherlands for them, the Ultimate Soldier realized something.

"Junko, did you and Lelouch remove the IFFs (identification, friend or foe) from the Sutherlands you stole? Did you leave one for Monaca?"

A devilish toothy grin appeared on Junko's face.

"That is the first intelligent thing I have ever heard you say, but yes you are right. I left one in a place for Monaca to find it after I sent off a text message with some instructions along with it."

* * *

True to Junko's word one of the IFF transponders that she helped Lelouch remove from the Sutherlands was hidden in an old mailbox outside one of the subway tunnels with its location sent via text message to Monaca. Instead of her or one of her friends retrieving it a Monokuma robot, a taller and more combat ready, tore into the mailbox to recover it before making its way back underground before anyone could see it as it delivers the device to the robot's creator.

Hidden within one of the subway tunnels two trucks carrying two Knightmare Frames, per vehicle, were parked near a van with a mobile command center set up in the back while equipped with power transmitters and information receiving equipment. An extendable antenna was being extended up through an open manhole to allow for a more precise transmission of data.

Inside the cockpit of their Knightmare Frames, while Monaca sat inside the van while the area outside was being patrolled and protected by Monokuma robots, mass-produced models that acted autonomously following orders giving to them by their creator, the Warriors of Hope were preparing to launch for their first maiden battle. Even though it seemed reckless to send them out with only a few days of training, but their drive to master their new machines pushed them into dedicating much of their time training.

Monaca was confident they would do well, especially with the neural interface support system greatly simplifying operation of their respective Knightmare Frame.

"A child's ears are?!" Masaru Daimon began before the other Warriors of Hope, including Monaca, replied joyfully.

"Wonderful ears!"

"A child's eyes are?!"

"Adorable eyes!"

"A child's mouth is?!"

"A great big mouth!"

"Why is it so big?!"

"To gobble up the demons!" The group shouted together as one.

"Its game time everyone," Monaca began before Nagisa, Masaru, Jataro, and Kotoko saw on a monitor located in the upper corner of their cockpit a score reading zero. "The rules of the game are simple. Foot soldiers are worth ten points each. Tanks, Flying Aircraft and Armored Vehicles are worth twenty points each, but Knightmare Frames are worth one hundred points. The one with the most points will win."

"Before we begin," Nagisa said while sitting in the cockpit of his machine, "Monaca, why don't you tell them about the special instructions Big Sis Junko gave us."

"Good call Nagisa," The green haired girl began as she sat in her command center that had various monitors and computers lining the walls while Monaca herself sat before a large computer. "Thanks to this IFF transmitter that one of my Mister Monokumas retrieved we know where all of the demons are located, but as a special rule Knightmare Frames that don't have an IFF are not to be attacked otherwise they are a negative one hundred points. Of course, if they attack you first then you can kill them."

"We're protecting Big Sis too right?" Kotoko asked.

"Yes and I marked her location on the map, but we are not to help her unless she is in trouble," Monaca answered.

"If Big Sis is in trouble then me," Masaru said with a big smile, "As the Hero and leader of the Warriors of Hope shall save her."

"Don't get cocky Masaru, we're still new at this so don't get carried away." Nagisa, the Sage of the group, scolded being the voice of reason among the group.

"I wonder how the people will burn when I rain my missiles on them or will the people hit by Masaru's drills be reduced to hamburger?" Jataro, the proclaimed priest of the group, said trying to begin an unpleasant conversation for no reason at all, but he was ignored for the most part.

"Now is not the time to talk about gross stuff," Kotoko snapped, the fighter of the group, "it's time to we show Big Sis Junko we have what it takes to be true warriors of hope."

"Yes," Monaca said with a smile that would promise cake and cookies, but there was a darker reason for her smile, "we have suffered under the demons and today is the day we strike back. So show the demons no mercy and no matter what protect Big Sis Junko!"

"Why are we sitting around," Masaru shouted, "let's go and kill us some demons!"

Their modified and custom Gloucester units hurried down the tunnel heading for the nearest exit while Monaca remained behind with the Monokuma robots as her own company, which suited the young girl just fine.

After making sure her communicator to the Warriors of Hope machines were turned off Monaca mused to herself, "If you don't make it I'll just find some replacements and build better machines, but I hope you'll make it long enough for Big Sis Junko to survive."

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater:**

Monokuma appeared sitting upon his throne as his pedestal rose up as the two-tone bear readied his hammer.

"Today is a special episode of Monokuma Theater because the creator of this story decided to do something special and moments like these will come along at certain points in the story where YOU the reader shall decide the fate of a character."

The bear began laughing his signature sadistic laugh.

"No trials just a simple yes for the death sentence or no he or she gets to live. Who could it be, but this time the chapter up for the chopping block is one Yasuhiro Hagakure the so-called Ultimate Clairvoyant."

Monokuma began polishing his hammer.

"So come on don't keep me waiting, go to the author's profile page and cast your vote to decide if Yasuhiro gets to live or die since that is part of the charm about this series right? You get to vote on the fate of a character, but unlike the game, the process isn't fully tied to the story so the writer can be very flexible regardless of the results."

* * *

A/N:

As Monokuma said, there is a poll going on my profile to decide the fate of a character because either the Ultimate Clairvoyant is going to get executed, or he'll be spared, but he'll be out of the picture for a bit until he is needed.

Other characters might end up in the poll, but don't assume I'll feature characters no one would miss and/or they dislike a lot. It's whoever might end up facing the chopping block that could be avoided or not.

The poll will stay up until I update one of my other stories or put out another chapter, and/or I get more than 50 votes.

I thought I try this idea out as an experiment and do it as something special you the reader can take part in.

Anyway, I hope my attempt at doing something different with Shinjuku Ghetto works out a little better, and the next chapter will feature Suzaku against the Warriors of Hope. I hope you enjoy the chapter and I thank you all for your support and feedback so far.


	9. Chapter 9 To Change the World

A/N: Thanks for the reviews and feedback, and after this chapter events with Shinjuku Ghetto should be done and over with before we start getting to the more funnier aspects of this story as we prepare to move from Ashford Academy to Hope's Peak Academy.

Now the poll to decide Yasuhiro Hagakure's fate is still open for a bit longer on my profile page, although I could kill the guy off I felt that might be character bashing, which is something I try to avoid, but for some characters like Yasuhiro, it's pretty hard. It didn't help when I was discussing the matter with others such as draconichero21 about the matter Yasuhiro was chosen.

Heck, I had even another author calling for Hifumi's demise along with Yasuhiro's, but I decided one would be enough.

As a small treat I'll let you guys in on the fact I intend for Suzaku to attend Hope's Peak Academy under the title of "Ultimate Knightmare Frame pilot," but how that happens, I am not revealing at this time. Kallen could technically qualify for that as well, but Suzaku is the one known to them so…yeah.

Anyway without delay on with the chapter.

2/13/18: edited and cleaned up.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their_ _mind._ _"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

 **To Change the World**

"So are we having a bad day?"

Suzaku Kururugi awoke to the sound of Lloyd's voice as he was looking down on him as he awoke. The young man quickly recovered, but he was more surprised than anything all things considered. He was lying on the bed inside of a mobile infirmary truck, which he recognized from his days during basic training. He also realized he was without his shirt and protective vest while he had bandages wrapped around his waist.

"It looks like you missed your chance to go to heaven Private Kururugi," Lloyd said pulling back. Present with their superior was Cecile and Chihiro.

"What," Suzaku began as he tried to get up he felt a sharp pain on his right side. Any doubts Suzaku might've had about being alive after he was shot in the back were gone in that instant.

"Ah," Lloyd exclaimed treating the answer like an afterthought, "We're still in the Shinjuku Ghetto."

Cecile joined the discussion, "with Prince Clovis nearby this is perhaps the safest place right now."

The young woman presented Suzaku with an old broken pocket watch held in white cloth.

"This is what saved your life."

"It was under your protective suit, which deflected the bullet."

"Is it a keepsake?" Chihiro asked timidly peeking out from behind Cecile.

"Yes, very much so," Suzaku said before accepting the watch back.

"You people believe gods exist in everything, including objects and-" Lloyd was saying before Suzaku interrupted him.

"Where is," Suzaku began before catching him and asking in a more professional tone, "what is the situation?"

"The poison gas was released, resulting in massive casualties," Lloyd replied, but this tone seemingly hinted at a lack of interest.

Suzaku didn't protest the fact he knew the poison gas was a fake story created to recapture that girl because he knew that would only work against him or worse. Yet this caused a terrible thought to cross his mind.

 _Are they wiping out everyone to cover it up?!_

He wanted to believe otherwise but his superior ordering Lelouch to be killed confirmed this fear. More than anything he wanted to protest such pointless cruelty, but he knew that just being a Britannian grunt he would only be shot for treason if he spoke out of turn.

"They haven't caught the ones responsible," Cecile added.

"They haven't," Suzaku said before a hopeful thought came to mind.

 _If I catch_ _them,_ _maybe it might convince them to stop._

He knew it was unlikely they would stop at this point, but it was the only option open to him. It could even give him a chance to save Lelouch, Junko and the girl with them.

Of course, that was easier said than done, but it seemed fate was smiling upon Suzaku this day.

"Tell me Private Kururugi," Lloyd began, "how much experience do you have with Knightmare Frames?"

Suzaku was surprised and understandably taken back by the sudden question.

"But there is no way an Eleven could be made a Knight?"

With a smirk, Lloyd held up a gold activation key, "well suppose you could?"

* * *

Kallen Kozuki couldn't believe what couldn't only be described as a miracle handed to them on a silver plate. Most importantly, they had a real chance to turn the tide and possibly save the surviving inhabitants of the ghettos. For all her fierce defiance and efforts to stem the Britannian onslaught as they began their systematic slaughter of the ghetto's inhabitants, Kallen knew they were doomed. She wanted to believe otherwise, but the cold fact was that they were only delaying the inevitable since she had a Glasgow with one arm, as the other mechanical arm had malfunctioned during her initial skirmish with the enemy Sutherlands.

She managed to eject the arm to create an opening for an escape, but next time she wouldn't be so lucky.

Her fears were almost realized when a pair of Sutherlands had found her while attacking tanks and helicopters attacking the defenseless inhabitants. Kallen might've met her end had it not been for the intervention of their unknown ally who instructed her to lead the Sutherlands into a trap using an approaching train to stop one of the enemy machines. She hopped over it before their unknown ally attacked the other with a surprise attack using a Sutherland he had obtained.

 _How did he even get that Sutherland? No how did he get all of those Sutherlands for us?_

After her mysterious savor disabled the second Sutherland by shooting off its right leg giving Kallen a chance for retaliation, but its pilot ejected. Following the two Sutherlands being dealt with Kallen and the rest of the resistance group, she belonged with arrived upon they discovered the train cars were filled with Sutherlands for all of them.

The only catch was that they had to follow his orders if they wanted to win.

Kallen had many questions, but they were pushed to the back of her mind for now because of ongoing battle they needed to win first.

 _I am to run decoy and lure the enemy to Ohgi and the others_.

Kaname Ohgi, the acting leader of their resistance group, was leading their captured Sutherlands in their counterattack. Kallen would lead enemies into ambushes set up or would even ambush unsuspecting enemy Knightmare Frames to quickly remove them as a threat before they can retaliate. The other resistance members piloting Sutherlands would use ambush tactics on unsuspecting enemies through the direction of their nameless commander.

Despite being outnumbered, they were winning.

Their nameless commander who had made excellent use of his power was understandably pleased with how everything was progressing. Lelouch's counter-attack using the local resistance group after getting his hands on Sutherlands had proven far more effective than he had anticipated which Junko and he attributed to the fact that the enemy here was being commanded by Clovis.

 _This is work much better than I could've anticipated, but..._

If he had one complaint, it would be the fact Junko had to sit on his lap because of the oblivious fact that the Sutherland cockpit wasn't meant for two. Although when operating it Lelouch had Junko sit on his lap so he could focus on piloting more, but when the machine was stationary, they changed positions.

Junko, on the other hand, wasn't bothered by this at all.

"N group you'll continue your advance," Lelouch said as he watched another squad of Knightmare Frames getting eliminated by a skillful pincer maneuver he initiated.

"Someone is having fun."

"I couldn't have expected everything to go this smoothly even with Clovis in command." Lelouch mused as once again he was reminded of a critical reason why anti-Britannia resistance in Area 11 was much stronger than in any other conquered Area.

The difficulty was found in stealing and gathering the Sutherlands onto a train before delivering it to them after he directed one of their own, Kallen, to the train the Sutherlands were loaded on. Thanks to a communicator carelessly left behind by Kallen when she discarded her coat on the truck Lelouch was able to contact them.

From there he was able to issue orders to them while staying safely anonymous.

The Sutherland the duo was in was hiding on the upper floors of the ruined Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building where their machine had a bird's eye view of the ghetto while mindful to stay out of sight while hiding within the building's ruined floors.

"However, I am not only one having fun." Lelouch was sarcastic as he observed that Junko was trying to shift her weight to tease him.

Thankfully, she wasn't sitting directly on his lap knowing that would lead to a slightly compromising position, all for the sake to see how he would react. Just as Junko loved to see what kind of ripples she could make she enjoyed teasing Lelouch no matter where they were.

Even a deadly situation like this was no exception.

"Oh, whatever do you mean?" Junko said adopting an innocent smile while at the same time adopting a suggestive pose just to tease the young man. "Don't tell me you don't enjoy being in a cramped space with a beautiful woman?"

Lelouch said nothing because he knew Junko would find some way to turn it around on him.

Thankfully Lelouch was interrupted by a call from a member of the designated P group.

"This is P group we have spotted an unknown group?"

"What was that?"

"I don't think they are with the Britannians, but I don't know if they are on our side."

* * *

At that moment away from where the Britannian Army was fighting the surprise counterattack of the resistance group who had through means unknown to them had gotten their hands on Sutherlands. A squad of Knightmare Frames was chasing down a group of fleeing civilians, but suddenly the Type-H01 Gloucester Drill Offensive TM piloted by Masaru through the crumbling remains of a building using one of its drill arms before driving said drill into the cockpit of first Sutherland viciously killing its pilot.

The remaining four Sutherlands reacted, but as they backed away to mount a counter attack one of them was picked off by Nagisa's Type-S04 Gloucester Sniper TM. Its bullet pierced the cockpit of the Sutherland with precision accuracy and the shot from a sniper rifle modified after an experimental miniaturized linear gun punched through the armored cockpit like tissue paper.

The last three Sutherlands retreated, one of them was killed by Masaru driving a drill arm through the chest of the fleeing Sutherland while using the shield built into its other arm to deflect the bullets from the enemy assault rifles as they fought back to defend themselves.

Unfortunately, the two fleeing enemy machines ran right into the Type-P02 Gloucester Heavy Artillery Bomber TM. Without blinking, its pilot, Jataro aimed one of its Gatling guns mounted arm at one of the Sutherlands seconds before reducing it to Swiss cheese. The last Sutherland tried to run for it, but Kotoko caught the fleeing enemy by ambushing it at the end of the alleyway before cleaving it into two horizontally with its battle ax. The Type-W03 Gloucester Blade Offensive TM stood triumphantly having secured its first kill.

"Alright, this is a great start, and I already got two hundred points," Masaru announced happily as his companions had at least one hundred points each. "That is why I am the hero!"

"Better be careful that I don't pull ahead of you." Kotoko teased. "You boys almost let a demon escape."

"No, I am just letting you guys in on the fun, but no matter what I am going to win."

Suddenly a series of explosions interrupted the conversation as Jataro had detected a group of tanks in the company of two Sutherlands. After locking onto them, the masked child pilot fired the missiles from its back before bombarding the street ahead of them engulfing it and the enemies in multiple explosions. When the smoke cleared the burning remains of tanks, and two Sutherlands could be seen.

Seconds after that Nagisa was at work clearing the skies of any remaining attack VTOL gunships along with him sniping any enemy Sutherlands he happened to spot.

"If you have time for talking then you should focus on the game." Nagisa scolded.

"I am sure you guys will be mad if one of us beats you." Jataro chimed in before turning his Gatling Guns onto another pair of Sutherlands.

"WHAT!" Masaru snapped, "The hero ALWAYS wins!"

"I won't be left behind by any of you either!"

The Warriors of Hope continued their assault on the Britannian forces as the former prince listened to Ohgi informing him of their actions.

* * *

"They have only attacked the Britannians so far, but I don't know any resistance group that has machines like theirs."

Lelouch carefully weighed his options before deciding, "leave them be for now. It helps us if they attack the Britannians, but we'll keep an eye on them just to be safe. It would be unwise for them to attack the Britannians and us at the same time, so leave them be."

"Alright," Ohgi said, although he was uncertain of this unknown third party they were attacking the Britannians that would help them towards their goal of driving them from the ghetto.

After Lelouch shut off the radio, although Junko knew the machines attacking were the Warriors of Hope she struck up a conversation with Lelouch for the sake of keeping any possible suspicion off of her.

"If they are not with Britannia, who do you think those machines belong to?"

"Hard to say, although there are only a few organizations who might have the means to create machines the resistance has just described because they don't sound like Glasgows bought off the Black Market," Lelouch answered before taking a moment to contemplate the rest of his response. "Kyoto Group is the most likely suspect since it would make sense they would pursue Knightmare Frame development to liberate their country from Britannia. However, even there is a limit to what they can do in that regard, so they are probably reaching out to outside parties such as the Chinese Federation to help their development projects."

Lelouch didn't think that the Chinese Federation as a whole was involved since he didn't doubt some of its higher-ups would rather see Japan become a dominion under them than a liberated country. So more than likely Kyoto House was probably dealing with another faction within the Chinese Federation that didn't oppose the idea of Japan becoming an independent nation again. Of course, the civil war now waging in their country left whatever arrangements the Kyoto Group might have with the Chinese Federation in question.

Of course, that was also if Kyoto was dealing with the Chinese Federation, but Lelouch could only speculate at this point without further information.

* * *

As if losing his position as Viceroy wasn't bad enough, Clovis la Britannia was faced with an issue that wouldn't see him disinherited he could end up executed instead. The girl who was the subject of his personal research project which he began jointly with members of Hope's Peak Academy's Steering Committee in exchange for helping them further their own project was now missing. The truck meant to transport her from the Viceroy Palace to Hope's Peak academy was hijacked. The plan was to follow the vehicle back to the hideout of the terrorists responsible for the theft to eliminate all of them fearing the possibility they might've been aware of the truck's real contents even through false rumors were spread around to help hide the truth behind the truck's secret cargo.

This was done in preparation for his title of Viceroy being passed over to his older sister Cornelia once she arrives in Area 11 within the next two weeks. Once the girl was in the hands of Hope's Peak Academy, then he could hopefully hide any traces of his experiments he had been conducting behind his father's back. The rest of the research team and their lab were to be relocated to a town in the Narita Mountains as a further precaution, but some would be moved to Hope's Peak Academy through to maintain contact with the lab and its research team.

Now the situation was further spiraling out of control with the terrorists having somehow obtained Sutherlands of their own and was mounting a fierce counterattack.

 _T-This can't be happening to me!_

Clovis la Britannia was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. His hair was a disheveled mess, and his pale complexion and black rings under his eyes indicated a serve lack of sleep and being under a lot of stress.

 _They are all useless!_

Rising from his throne the Britannian Prince and soon to be former viceroy of Area 11 decided to take matters into his own hands as the terrorists needed to be put down along with those four new machines they had suddenly appeared attacking his men making the situation even worse. No matter what it took Clovis was determined to destroy the terrorists and reclaim the girl, dead or alive. Clovis approached the tactical map in the center of the G-1 command center where Bartley and a group of staff officers stood around trying to desperately change tactics and determine how the enemy was anticipating their movements.

"Bring in Quincy's squad and call in," Clovis began before Bartley interrupted him.

"My lord that will break the encirclement," Bartley tried to caution, but Clovis shot at him a glare before exploding.

"I KNOW!" The prince's tone calmed after that explosive outburst, but it only showed how unhinged the Viceroy had become due to his recent string of failures and setbacks in the past week. "Reinforce the breach with some of the units carding me. All we know is that the enemy is located here, so I want Quincy's squad along with Bretz and all other nearby units to converge on this location. I want to create a noose to put upon them before closing it."

"Yes, my lord," Bartley said, but he was fearful that the Viceroy was making a mistake.

* * *

Bartley had no idea how right he was as Lelouch easily realized what Clovis had in mind, which by all accounts was the worst possible move Clovis could've made. Lelouch had every intention to capitalize on his stupidity seeing this as a golden opportunity to deal the enemy a massive blow.

"Q-1, do you have an area map?"

"Yes, but it doesn't have any landmarks," Kallen replied upon being called by her code name given to her by Lelouch.

"It will do," Lelouch said as a smile appeared on his lips, "listen up everyone."

In the minutes that followed a grand total of fifty-two Knightmare Frames had surrounded the area where the resistance group was concentrated. As Clovis intended they were to form a noose around the enemy before closing around them until they had them before wiping them out with superior numbers, although this tactic might've worked if the enemy Clovis was dealing with was a bunch of pathetic amateurs.

With Lelouch's leadership, however, Clovis's plan had a severe flaw that the former prince was going to exploit thanks to the old maps the resistance cell had given them a critical home-field advantage.

Clovis and his command staff had utterly forgotten about the tunnels that run below the ghetto, which were more than big enough for a Knightmare Frame to fit in. Furthermore, thanks to the weakening of the ground and support through years of neglect and damage from the war, including further damage from the various bombardments on the ghetto it wouldn't take much to bring the entire area Clovis and his men had converged on crumbled beneath their feet.

With a smile on his face, Lelouch declared, "With this, I call check."

At the same time as Clovis realized the enemy wasn't at the location, they had been led to believe as all of the Knightmare Frames they had assembled had the area surrounded before converging on the center. Before they could pull out of the region of the ghetto they had been lured to, the entire ground began to crumble as Kallen's machine had struck the weakest point of the ceiling causing a chain reaction resulting in the surrounding area to collapse. The result led to the simultaneous destruction of over fifty Knightmare Frames in one fell swoop.

Junko and Lelouch began laughing at the success of the plan, especially since Clovis has proven how useless he was as a commander. Any other seasoned military commander would've recognized the foolishness of his actions.

Now he was paying the price.

"My plan worked!"

"Of course, it is because Clovis is a fucking idiot who cannot command troops literally to save his own ass!" Junko said, before adding, "What I wouldn't give for a chance to see the look on Clovis's face right now."

* * *

For Junko Enoshima the sight of Clovis on the G-1 command bridge would've been priceless to behold as his face had turned pale with the blood draining from his face and his expression was one of frozen horror and at the same time dumbfounded. It was clear he was dealing with someone who is a far better strategist than anyone he had met so far, and without drawing further attention to the situation, Clovis couldn't call in reinforcements. Other than a few Knightmare Frames engaging the mysterious four machines the only Knightmare Frames he had left to call on made up the encirclement that kept the enemy from escaping.

He couldn't use them without creating a breach for the enemy to escape through, but Clovis was virtually out of options.

There was one option left, although he didn't want to owe his older half-brother anything, Clovis had no choice as with a trembling hand and a look of pure desperation in his eyes, he worked the control console to open a line of communication to a particular trailer sitting by the G-1.

"Well hello my lord," Lloyd greeted with his usual laid-back tone, "is there something the special corps can do for you?"

Clovis could tell this was a call Lloyd had been hoping for, but not wishing to drag it on for longer than needed the Viceroy asked one question.

"Can your toy turn this battle around Lloyd; yes or no?"

Lloyd adjusted his glasses, "my lord, be as so kind to call it Lancelot, but yes it can. I have a pilot ready, and all I need is your permission to deploy him."

"DO IT!" Clovis snapped, "I don't care how, but I want the enemy annihilated! If your toy fails, I promise to drag you both down with me!"

Despite Clovis's words and even recognizing he was on the knife's edge of a complete breakdown Lloyd's confidence in his creation did not diminish.

"Consider the situation handled my lord. I'll send out the Lancelot at once."

* * *

Lloyd was quick to inform Cecile, who in turn called on their pilot for the Lancelot, Suzaku, who had just finished changing into a new white pilot suit with gold and black trim. Despite the injury he suffered early, he was cleared for duty, but he was warned not to overexert himself. Suzaku stood before Cecile before the black tarp was pulled off reveal a white humanoid-shaped machine with gold trim. Compared to the Sutherland and Glasgow the Lancelot had a thin and more streamlined frame for higher mobility compared to other Knightmare Frames.

Suzaku was awed by the machine before him.

"Is that it?"

"Yes, this is the advance weapon developed by us in the Advance Special Envoy Engineering Corps," Cecile explained through the electronic earpiece Suzaku was wearing, "the Z-01 Lancelot is the world's first seventh generation Knightmare Frame."

"Alright Suzaku if you are ready, then let's get started," Lloyd called through the earpiece.

As the technicians overall the final preparations from the outside, Suzaku boarded the new machine before inputting the necessary information along with the proper codes to proceed with the startup of the Lancelot.

Suzaku felt the machine hum to life as he gripped the controls. He was ready to begin while the display within the cockpit showed all green across the board.

"Lancelot," the young man began, "activate M.E. Boost!"

"Lancelot, launch!" Cecile announced before Suzaku propelled the Lancelot to take off at high speed heading straight into the ghetto much to Lloyd's amusement.

Suzaku had only piloted Knightmare Frames through mostly simulators or when they were testing new variations so this would be the first time he would use a Knightmare Frame in battle. However, the feeling of the rush the speed the Lancelot moved at especially coupled with how it responded as quickly as it was an extension of his own body was quite the sensation and experience.

 _This is cooler than the manual._

A brief jolt of pain from his side snapped him back into reality.

It didn't take long for Suzaku to find his first victim as the pilot of a Sutherland with the resistance was a man in his early twenties with red hair, a red headband, blue eyes and a small goatee on his chin wearing a purple shirt with black pants.

Shinichirō Tamaki watched the Lancelot approaching him wondering what it was.

"Huh, that doesn't look like a Sutherland."

In the next instant, the Sutherland he was piloting was beheaded causing the cockpit block to be ejected. The Lancelot's only armaments were its slash harkens, but unlike most machines, there were two on the forearms and two on the hips. However, its agility and its innovative defensive capabilities still gave it a clear advantage over the resistance fighters as they were about to find out.

Meanwhile, unaware of what was unfolding, Lelouch was chuckling enjoying his success as he sought to keep pressing his advantage until victory was his. Everything changed when he received news of the Lancelot's attack on the troops under his command.

"This is B group reporting enemy presence."

"Reinforcements huh," Lelouch commented before picking up the radio, "Status?"

"They took out four units like they were nothing."

"Enemy numbers?"

"Its…just one unit, but I think it's a new model. I never seen anything," The resistance fighter was trying to explain before a cry on his end came before the line suddenly went dead.

"What is happening out there!?" Lelouch demanded before contacting another resistance fighter whom Lelouch knew was nearby. "What happened to B-Group?"

"Some kind of new model is taking them out one by one. It's so fast, but it has some kind of shield on its arms that can reflect bullets!" The pilot explained with the background noise indicated the resistance fighter was locked in battle against the Lancelot as it was making use of its Blaze Luminous shields to deflect all incoming projectile attacks.

"It reflects bullets!"

"Yeah what do we do?"

Before Lelouch could answer, he heard the fighter scream before the line went dead.

"Well, it looks like things are going to hell in a handbasket," Junko noted, but she was curious as to this lone unit dismantling Lelouch's forces.

"These so-called terrorists are useless," the former prince snapped in frustration, "despite all of the resources I have given them they are being beaten by one unit."

Calming down to keep his frustration from getting the better of him, Lelouch calmly collected his thoughts; although he was furious his plan was falling apart, he needed to focus on how he could turn this around.

"Regardless if those Sutherlands cannot stand against whatever this new model is then there is little chance we'll fare any better." Lelouch said taking a moment to review the tactical map, "If I cannot corner it then we must escape."

"I get the feeling we should start running."

Not to be deterred Lelouch communicated with the resistance fighters laying out a possible plan to press the attacking Lancelot into a corner and hopefully, an attack from all sides could provide an opening. The two units who had gone to keep the Lancelot pinned down were, unfortunately, no match as the Lancelot's superior capabilities coupled with the natural skill and determination of the pilot easily rendered their efforts useless. In the span of a few minutes, Lelouch heard the cries of the resistance fighters as the Lancelot swiftly found and took them all down until Lelouch and Kallen's machines were left.

Lelouch knew he couldn't win, but while he was willing to concede the tactical victory to the Lancelot, the former prince wasn't out of options yet.

"Hold on Junko," Lelouch replied as the two had swapped positions with Lelouch sitting on Junko's lap in preparation for the Lancelot's attack suspecting if it was as capable as he heard he anticipated the possibility it might find the Sutherland they were in.

The Sutherland had a Chaos Mine in one hand while its assault rifle was ready in the other.

The former prince's prediction proved accurate as a slash harken had struck the ceiling on the floor above the one Lelouch was on. Lelouch tensed up, and after an internal countdown, he tossed the Chaos Grenade before aiming the assault rifle at the floor at his feet. The timing was spot on as the Lancelot arrived on the floor of the building only to be met with shrapnel from the Chaos Mine. Quick reflexes on Suzaku's part allowed the Lancelot to avoid damage barely raising its Blaze Luminous shields just in time, but it provided Lelouch the chance he needed to shoot his way into the floor below him. At the same time as his machine fell he used its assault rifle to fire into the ground, the Lancelot was standing on.

 _Can you defend from an attack from below?_

The walls and the floors, having been weakened from over seven years of inattention and the damage the structure endured during the war, collapsed thanks to a few well-placed shots. However, because the floors and walls could crumble more easily more of the level beneath the Lancelot crumbled with it that was only furthered by the hole Lelouch had made to escape. Lelouch continued to fire the Sutherland's assault rifle hoping to hit the Lancelot, but with the debris falling alongside the enemy machine the former prince knew a direct shot would be difficult or he would need luck if he wanted to hit the white Knightmare Frame.

Luckily for Suzaku, the falling chunks of rock and broken steel bars shielded the Lancelot from Lelouch's attack, but Lelouch still wasn't cornered, and he just began using the walls and even the floor as both a shield and a way to create an opening against a foe.

 _When faced with a Knightmare Frame, especially one more capable than a Glasgow remember to never fight fair._

Lelouch recalled Mukuro's words during the time she shared with him some experiences from the battlefields she had seen. There was no question the introduction of Knightmare Frames had drastically changed war and battlefields across the world as the other Superpowers hurried to catch up to Britannia and produce Knightmare Frames of their own, although some countries pursued Knightmare Frame development differently new tactics had to be devised.

This was explicitly for countries and groups who had to face Knightmare Frames regardless if they didn't have Knightmare Frames of their own or whatever machine they had was inferior to what their foe possessed. Mukuro and the group of mercenaries she belonged to had faced such situations when they had to engage against enemy Knightmare Frames while most of them they didn't have their own machines to use against them.

However there were two problems with Lelouch's strategy; first, his ability to escape and attack the Lancelot was dependant on how many bullets he had while the second was luck.

All it would take was a stroke of bad luck on Lelouch's part for the Lancelot to catch him.

Of course, there was the building itself because Lelouch began to notice some of the walls and ceilings starting to crumble ever so slightly.

 _It would be a problem if this whole building came down, but,_ Lelouch thought before a smile appeared on his face, _maybe this can work for my benefit._

With a new and modified strategy in mind, Lelouch began moving towards the edges of the building intending to repeat his actions of evading the Lancelot and counterattacking, but Lelouch was adding a risky new twist to his plan.

Lelouch shot his way into the floor below before the Lancelot could recover expecting that this time the white machine would be anticipating his maneuver, but it also seemed that the Lancelot had also expected Lelouch to do the same thing. The pilot of the white Knightmare Frame clearly recognized that Lelouch knew in a one-on-one fight it had no chance of victory. This only confirmed Lelouch's fears that his plan to counter and put a stop to his enemy would've failed at some point, so it just made his change in the overall strategy even more fortunate.

Instead of shooting at the Lancelot fired at the floor below it as it came down causing it to crash into the floor below where Lelouch was on. After this, the level the former prince was on began shaking causing the internal balancing of his Knightmare Frame to start going off indicating that the building was becoming increasingly unstable. Suddenly the floor gave away below Lelouch as a slash harken had hit the ceiling above where Lelouch had been standing causing him to fall through the hole in the roof before the Lancelot retaliated by performing a spin kick that sent Lelouch flying to the side.

Neither Junko nor Lelouch were hurt, but the young woman held onto Lelouch while mindful to avoid letting his head hit her in the face.

 _That attack looked familiar,_ Junko thought calmly noticing how the spin kick the enemy machine had performed was strangely similar to the kick Suzaku had used against Lelouch.

"Damn it I have to get out of here!" Lelouch said as he hurried to get the machine back on its feet, but the Lancelot was already about to deliver a finishing blow with one of its slash harkens.

Thankfully Kallen intervened at the last minute attacking with her one-armed Glasgow to save the one who had rescued her earlier.

"Hey, I am returning the favor!" Kallen called to Lelouch as he wasted no time getting the Sutherland back on its feet.

"Thanks, but get out of here before the building comes down on top of you," Lelouch answered before hurrying off.

 _Oh,_ _I get it,_ Kallen thought while realizing what her mysterious benefactor and rescuer had in mind.

Kallen fired the slash harken from her machine, but she missed the Lancelot aiming at one of the stone pillars behind it hoping it would be all that was needed to cause the floors above them to come collapsing down on top of the Lancelot. Suzaku dodged it thinking the slash harken was aimed for his head, but as he began crushing the Glasgow's fist with the Lancelot's hand as they struggled Kallen's machine started breaking down as the damage was apparently too much for it.

Before ejecting Kallen made sure the cockpit block was pointed out of a hole in the side of the building to ensure she would be launched clear of the building before most it would collapse.

After her ejecting the entire building began to crumble as the tower the fight had been taking place in had proven to be too much for the building to handle causing all of the floors above Suzaku to come crashing down threatening to crush the young man along with the Lancelot. Unfortunately for Lelouch and Kallen the Lancelot quickly leaped out of the building through the same hole Kallen had used for her ejected cockpit block to escape through. Using its slash harkens the Lancelot successfully landed on top of a building across from the crumbling Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, although the entire structure didn't crumble to the ground. The left tower where most of the fighting had taken place collapsed causing other parts of the building to beginning collapsing as it was buckling on its own weight.

Suzaku ignored this and began pursuing after the Sutherland; he was convinced was the leader of the ones leading the resistance fighters.

Lelouch and Junko were still in the Sutherland together as it was speeding down the street heading towards Clovis's G-1.

"So you're going straight to the king huh?"

"At this point as I am sure you realize this is my only option. We'll need to ditch the Sutherland and get our hands on-" Lelouch was saying, but he was interrupted by the sound of the proximity alert going off prompting Lelouch to look behind him to see the Lancelot chasing him.

And it was catching up to him.

"Damn that thing is unstoppable!"

Aiming the assault rifle, Lelouch opened fire at the Lancelot before shooting upwards at the buildings to bring down some debris to stop the Lancelot in its tracks. Much to Lelouch's growing frustration, the Lancelot wasn't impeded at all by the falling stone and only, but skillfully, evaded them all and kept on course.

At this moment, however, the base of the building next to the Lancelot exploded outward as Masaru, and his custom Knightmare Frame emerged from the rubble that was sent flying while trying to impale the Lancelot with one of its drill-equipped arms. Suzaku narrowly avoided the surprise attack, but Masaru wasn't the only one as Kotoko was next to attack. She leaped down from the top of the building to the right of the Lancelot with her battle ax ready intending to cleave the Lancelot in two. Suzaku quickly backed away to give himself some space to work with, but had to swiftly use the Blaze Luminous to shield himself from a missile attack from Jataro.

"Those shields of his are pretty good," Jataro commented as he stood a safe distance away from the Lancelot allowing him to focus on ranged attacks.

"This machine is a new model, so don't take it lightly. Furthermore, Monaca did declare whoever destroys it and brings her back a piece of it will win the game." Nagisa said on the roof of a building that was also a safe distance away from the battle while trying to line up a shot to shoot the Lancelot with its sniper rifle at the first opportunity.

"Well, I am going to win because I am the hero and heroes always win!"

"Don't get cocky Masaru!" Nagisa advised, but their leader couldn't even comprehend how he could lose since he was supposed to the hero of their group. Of course, the fact that the Sutherlands they have been facing had presented little challenge to them so far.

Masaru charged intending to drive a drill through the Lancelot, but the white machine evaded before counterattacking with its slash harken beheading the attacking the Knightmare Frame in one move.

The cockpit block was ejected before the machine exploded, self-destructing to protect whatever secrets it might've had, but this allowed Kotoko to attack as she swung her ax at the Lancelot. Suzaku ducked and almost followed it up with another slash harken attack, but Suzaku acting on instinct quickly backed away in time to avoid Nagisa's shot as he almost shot the cockpit of his machine.

 _A sniper,_ Suzaku thought before quickly retreating into alleyway knowing that staying out in the open would be dangerous.

"Jataro flush him out so I can get a clear shot!" Nagisa ordered, "Then retrieve Masaru and bring his cockpit block back to Monaca."

"Sure thing, but Masaru is going to be so mad I had to take him back to Monaca."

"That was his own fault for being too overconfident for attacking an enemy like that," Nagisa said as he warned Masaru to be careful to avoid being defeated by a machine that was apparently more superior compared to the Sutherlands they were fighting.

Jataro did as he was ordered and released a missile barrage followed by some shots fired from his mini-gun into the alleyway, although it was likely the Lancelot had already escaped into the street on the other side of the buildings.

"Kotoko, come to me right now. He'll be coming to attack me." Nagisa demanded as he realized what the enemy pilot was likely attempting to do.

"Roger that. Together we'll take down that white machine and Monaca will be so happy!"

* * *

Meanwhile back at the Lancelot's trailer near Clovis's G-1 its creators were observing the battle unfolding as the Lancelot was performing well beyond expectations. Even though it had a close one within that crumbling building, it managed to survive and wipe out virtually all of the enemy forces on its own.

"It seems our assumption in the fact that the enemy was using the IFF transponders of our forces to track their movements were right on the money," Lloyd replied as the Lancelot's IFF transponder was turned off. Lloyd suspected that part of the reason they saw through Clovis's tactics and plans was that the IFFs were used to monitor their movements without needing to intercept and study their transmissions.

"Yes, it seems that way because those ambushes were a little too precise."

"Wow, the Lancelot is operating at over ninety percent efficiency," Chihiro commented as he was helping in monitoring and recording all data during its deployment to support further research. Of course, this data was also being used for Chihiro's pet project because he was working on developing a tactical combat analysis program he and Lloyd had named as the Druid System.

"Our pilot is taking his job very seriously, and those custom machines he is fighting look like they were made from heavily modified Gloucester Knightmare Frames," Lloyd remarked as he adjusted his glasses to closely observe the customized enemy machines. "I wonder how the enemy got their hands on those?"

"I suppose you can buy just about anything on the black market these days," Cecile commented as she and Lloyd continued to watch Suzaku battle the two custom Gloucester machines. Suzaku moved to attack the sniper unit from behind, but he was intercepted by the ax-wielding Knightmare Frame having realized his intent after he escaped their ambush.

Unknown to them or anyone for that matter Lelouch and Junko, dressed as Britannian soldiers using the uniform and protective gear they acquired through Lelouch's new powers of persuasion, approached a lone Britannian guard who was protecting the entrance leading into the G-1.

"STOP RIGHT THERE," The guard shouted aiming his rifle at the two, "This is Prince Clovis's personal transport."

"And it is lightly guarded as per my plan." Lelouch said right before he activated his Geass, "Now I would like you to let me and my companion pass, but afterward you will forget you ever saw us and ignore our presences for the rest of the day."

It was fortunate that this soldier wasn't wearing anything to protect his eyes allowing the Geass to effortlessly take hold.

"Yes sir, understood."

* * *

Around the same time, Nagisa was trying to avoid the attacking Lancelot, having been recognized as its most dangerous threat, with Kotoko fighting against the Lancelot. Compared to Masaru, Kotoko was faring much better thanks to the young girl being more cautious and not recklessly overconfident like the hero of their group was. However the difference in their fighting skills was becoming more obvious, but the fact she hadn't been taken down was because Suzaku was using Kotoko as a shield to protect himself from sniper fire until he could deal with Nagisa's machine.

After a fierce exchange of attacks, Suzaku knocked the ax from hands of Kotoko's machine before hurling it at Nagisa just as the latter was about to shoot at the Lancelot. The hatchet cleaved the barrel of the sniper rifle in half rendering Nagisa's primary weapon useless, and Kotoko was disarmed and at the Lancelot's mercy.

Acting fast Nagisa began discharging the chaff smoke grenades they were carrying blanketing the street their fight had moved to after Suzaku attempted to ambush Nagisa earlier. Suzaku quickly withdrew suspecting it could be a prelude to another surprise attack since he hadn't seen the third enemy armed with those missiles, but using this opening Nagisa and Kotoko quickly escaped.

By the time the smoke cleared the two machines were gone.

"Suzaku," Cecile asked on an open communication line as her face appeared on the monitor above his head, "do you want to call it quits for today?"

"No," the young man replied, "please let me continue."

 _That was_ _slightly_ _intense, but where did those machines come from?_

* * *

Meanwhile, Kallen had made her way to where Ohgi and the others were at their base, which was an old warehouse converted into their headquarters, where they had taken in the fleeing inhabitants of the ghetto who were being hunted down. There was some arguing, mostly Tamaki arguing against a civilian blaming the resistance group for bringing the Britannian Military down on them, but Ohgi and Kallen were more focused on another matter.

"Ohgi, who was that on the radio?"

"Beats me," Ohgi replied before sitting on the ground next to a portable radio system, "he doesn't answer when I call so maybe he bought it."

Suddenly the doors to the warehouse were blown open as Britannian soldiers poured in followed by a tank. Even though there was a few of them armed the resistance group didn't have enough firepower to fend off the soldiers and a tank.

"SEE," Tamaki snapped, "this is what happens when we trust somebody we don't know. We should've used the poison gas!"

"But he…" Ohgi was apparently at a loss for words, which was because he knew nothing would change what was about to happen.

"So this is where you Eleven vermin scurried off to," the commander of the Britannian squad said from his place on the tank as he was partially raised out of its top hatch, "prepare to fire!"

"No…Naoto," Kallen said as the Britannian Army was about to execute them all when suddenly.

"Attention all forces," Clovis announced through an announcement on an open channel and one that was being broadcast via loudspeakers for everyone in the ghetto to hear. "Cease fire at once."

Even though some were shocked at the order, the soldiers under his command stopped at what they were doing.

"I Clovis, third prince of Britannia and royal viceroy of Area Eleven, hereby command you, all forces are ordered to cease fire at once," Clovis ordered before adding further to his surprising order that left everyone, both friend and foe alike, in stunned silence. "You will also cease destruction of any buildings or property. All casualties, whether Britannian or Eleven, shall be treated equally and without prejudice. In the name of Clovis la Britannia, you are hereby ordered, cease fire at once. I shall allow no further fighting."

* * *

Taking it as her cue, Junko shut off power to the G-1 command bridge once the broadcast of Clovis's order was sent out.

"Are you satisfied?" Clovis demanded after power within the G-1's command bridge was shut off.

"Very. Well done." The former prince answered.

"And what shall we do now? Sing a few lively ballads, or perhaps a nice game of chess?"

"That has a familiar ring."

Clovis was confused, but Lelouch removed the helmet of his Britannian soldier disguise with his free hand while keeping the gun pointed at him.

Lelouch cast his helmet aside, "Don't you recall? The two of us used to play chess together as boys. Of course, I would always win."

"What?"

"Do you remember, at the Aries Villa?"

Junko was silent, but she couldn't help but smile under the helmet she wore to hide her identity because she had a good feeling where this was going.

Clovis could barely contain his anger, "You! Who are you?"

With a grin, Lelouch began walking out of the shadows and into the dim lighting provided by the emergency lights around the throne.

"It's been a long time, big brother," Lelouch said before Clovis finally got a good look at the face of the man aiming a gun at him. His surprise was clearly written on his face. Lelouch bowed before him as he reintroduced him to Clovis as a mocking gesture. "The eldest son of the late consort Marianne and seventeenth in line to the imperial throne, Lelouch vi Britannia, at your service."

"Lelouch! B-But I thought-"

"That I was dead? You were wrong" Lelouch grinned at Clovis's stunned silence, "I have returned, Your Highness, and I've come back to change everything."

Before Clovis could recover Lelouch rose to his feet slowly approaching him with his gun aimed at the stunned older man.

At this point Clovis recovered from his shock and tried to act a little more pleasant, "I'm overjoyed, Lelouch. They said you died when Japan was brought into the fold. What a blessing to have you back. We should depart for the homeland immediately."

Lelouch merely glared at his older half-brother before answer while making to an effort to hide the contempt in his voice. "So you can use me as a tool of diplomacy? It seems you've forgotten why we were used as tools in the first place."

It took Clovis around thirty seconds to realize what Lelouch was implying.

"That's right. It was because my mother was killed." Lelouch said as the memory of his dead mother clutching his horrified little sister who had her legs shot from that ordeal which was the reason for her blindness and her paralysis. "Mother held the title of knight of honor but was a commoner by birth. No doubt the other imperial consorts held her in contempt. Even though you made it look like the work of terrorists, I'm no fool. You people killed my mother."

In that instant, Lelouch allowed seven years of rage that he had bottled up to come out before regaining his composure after it passed.

"THEN YOU SENT US HERE TO DIE!"

"It wasn't me." Clovis cried out in panic as he held up his hands defensively. "I swear to you it wasn't."

"Then tell me everything you know. The truth cannot be hidden from me any longer." Lelouch asked as he activated his Geass, "You shall answer all of my questions!"

"I shall answer your questions," Clovis said in a monotone tone of voice as Lelouch's power took hold.

"First tell me who killed my mother?"

"My brother second prince Schneizel and second princess Cornelia, they can tell you."

"Were they the ones behind it?"

Clovis didn't respond, but Lelouch assumed it was a sign that Clovis didn't know. This hardly surprised Lelouch as he didn't think Clovis was responsible, but there was a chance at the very least he could point him in the direction of someone who was either guilty or someone else who might know more.

"My next question, tell me the truth about the capsule you told your men was poison gas and the nature of that girl with green hair who was locked inside."

"She was a test subject in Code-R, a research project meant to investigate the girl who has a special connection to specific ancient ruins connected to an unknown civilization that my father, the Emperor, has taken a special interest in. The girl herself is special as our own research has revealed. How she is we haven't been able to determine yet."

"Tell me about these ruins you mentioned?"

"I know only that the Emperor has been aggressively seeking to conquer any country discovered to possess one of them. We had just discovered one on an island we have named Kamine Island, located a few miles away from Shikine Island. Once the girl was transported to Hope's Peak Academy for further research, I had planned for a team to investigate the ruins to hopefully learn of their importance to my father."

Lelouch was intrigued by what he was learning, and perhaps there was information to be found he could use against the Emperor.

"Shikine Island I think was called Shikinejima Island?" Junko inquired.

"Answer her," Lelouch ordered.

"Yes."

"How is Hope's Peak Academy involved in this?"

"The Steering Committee has been secretly conducting human experiments into a project named Izuru Kamakura Project, a project to create an individual who specializes in talent by possessing all of the various talents they have researched scientifically. To create one they can deem as the Ultimate Hope." Clovis explained, but this revelation surprised both Junko and Lelouch.

Junko, on the other hand, had been aware that the school had some kind of secret project in the works from Yasuke, but he didn't know any details about it.

"So they are trying to create some kind of clockwork god," Lelouch commented before asking. "How did they obtaining funding for this? What about test subjects?"

"The students of the Reserve Course are both the source of their funding, and they provide a pool of potential test subjects, but they have already chosen one."

"Do you know who the student was?"

"No."

"How did you know about the project and how did does it relate to Code-R?"

"Our experiments have included attempting to recreate the girl's unquiet traits which we discovered could help in manipulating and restructuring the mind. We were reaching out secretly to borrow talented scientists in their employ to further our research while we helped them cover up the disappearance of the student chosen for their experiments. They helped me with Code-R in exchange I helped them."

"Tell me who would have information about your research?" Lelouch inquired, although Clovis knew his fair share of information it might be helpful if he extracted more data from one of the researchers.

"Joseph Fenette," Clovis answered, surprising both Junko and Lelouch.

"Shirley's dad is involved," Junko said before shrugging her shoulders, "well that makes it easy."

Lelouch ignored her because he knew he needed to hurry it up, "who else is aware of Code-R and the project Hope's Peak Academy is running? Does the Emperor know about them?"

"He isn't aware of the Izuru Kamakura Project, but I suspect he was becoming aware of Code-R."

 _That must've been the real reason he dispatched Bradley to Area 11._

"I see then that's all the questions I have," Lelouch said as those words released Clovis from his Geass.

Clovis he regained his senses, but he had no idea what had just happened, nor did he know that Lelouch had used his phone to record their conversation.

Instead, he instinctively panicked as he spoke, "I swear it wasn't me. I had nothing to do with it."

"I believe you. However-" Lelouch said, causing Clovis to calm down, but as Lelouch allowed his sentence to trail off as he aimed his gun at Clovis's head. Clovis's eyes went wide realizing Lelouch's intention.

Junko began smiling as she was eagerly awaiting Lelouch to blow Clovis's brains out. The look of horror on the Viceroy's face and despair were priceless.

"Please, you can't!" Clovis pleaded, "We may have different mothers, but you and I are still blood."

Lelouch pressed the gun up against Clovis's left eye.

 _He has no reason to spare you._ Junko thought. _Your royal guards killed his best friend, tried to kill him, not to mention you gave the order for an entire ghetto to be wiped out just to protect your reputation._

The black-haired prince didn't waver, as he prepared to pull the trigger.

"You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty."

* * *

"Then Lelouch pulled the trigger," Junko said before exploding into a state of uncontainable ecstasy. "Oh, the despair he felt as his own half-brother killed him in cold blood. The despair of a sibling killing another was so despairingly wonderful to witness!"

Junko couldn't stop from giggling uncontrollably while she started drooling.

"I can't stop leaking!"

Mukuro didn't say anything, but the rest she figured out. Following their escape, they had to go back to retrieve Rivalz's bike before returning to the academy.

The older of the despair sisters remained quiet until Junko calmed down coming off from her despair high.

"Anyway Lelouch is resolving another issue right now, but I am eager to see what happens next," Junko said with a wide toothy grin, but she brought out her cell phone which had a recording of everything Lelouch got out of Clovis. "How long before word gets out about what happens to Clovis. I mean, given how his killer just walked in after Clovis was left alone, so it goes without saying that many heads will roll if word got out."

"It will be chaos, but what is this minor problem Lelouch is handing?"

Junko quickly drew one final picture before holding up a drawing of Monokuma's face over her own before she spoke intimating the bear's voice as close as possible. "I don't think you need me to tell you, idiot. Who sold Lelouch up a creek recently?"

Mukuro realized who Junko was referring to, and at that moment in a sauna, sat a blonde woman in her early forties wearing a towel wrapped around her head and one wrapped around her torso.

Mrs. Ashford was relaxing quietly by herself until Lelouch began approaching her as his left eye was glowing red with the power of the king ready to be used again.

The demon within had been set free.

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater:**

Monokuma is seen standing on a large stage before a gathered crowd while the two-tone bear held a microphone in one hand.

"So everyone asks why Monokuma is a bear?" Monokuma asked the audience before answering, "Because bears are more marketable. I mean just check out that other bear who stuffs himself with honey, but there is another bear that loves stuffing nighttime security guards into animatronics suits."

Suddenly a picture of a lobster is lowered.

"Believe it, or not someone suggested that Monokuma be a lobster as something new and unexplored territory of mascot creation to be ventured into. It might be fine for a restaurant mascot, but really lobsters aren't that marketable especially as the main mascot of the series, so Monokuma was born a bear. Which I say was the best life decision I had ever made. Thus ends the secret origin story of Monokuma."

* * *

A/N: well Lelouch isn't wasting time taking out a potential problem much to Junko's delight because it's something she could use later if she wants to go specific routes with Milly.

The battle didn't entirely turn out as planned, but then again these are children Suzaku was facing with some experience in piloting a Knightmare Frame, so Suzaku still had a combative edge. But now the Warriors of Hope will be driven to hone their combat skills, especially Masaru. Not to mention Monaca will step up her game and produce better machines for them even.

Now for the aftermath of Clovis's death to play out and Lelouch will not be idle during this time that much is certain.

Thank you all in advance for your reviews and feedback, they are much appreciated.


	10. Chapter 10 The calm before the storm

A/N: First I want to thank you guys for the reviews and feedback, and although this chapter is probably going to be the shortest so far it's merely a prelude to what will happen next chapter. I tried to make it a little longer, but I found what seemed to be a good cut off point.

So let us move forward now.

2/13/18: edited and cleaned up.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their_ _mind._ _"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

 **The calm before the storm**

The following day Lelouch had been busy knowing that with Clovis dead, although it had yet to be announced publicly. Lelouch suspected that given recent events surrounding Monokuma, the death of the Chinese Federation ambassador, the murder of the Knight of a Round in Area 11, the leadership of Area 11's government feared that announcing his demise to the public would lead to anarchy. It likely didn't help them that the killer, thanks in no small part to Lelouch's new power, just walked in and notably shot the Viceroy at point blank range.

If they couldn't explain how a severe lapse in security occurred without the assassin in custody, then it would only be worse for them.

Some his time was spent right now visiting with Mr. Vendeur, who was to help Lelouch with one part of his preparations. Of course, given what he had in mind Lelouch subjugated the old man under his Geass as soon as he arrived and gave him some explicit commands with some precise instructions.

"Mr. Vendeur I command that you have an outfit using this inspiration as a base for the design," Lelouch said as he handed the old man a folded up piece of paper. "I need the mask able to slide open over the left eye. Then, once you are finished, and I have the finished product I want you to destroy all evidence of everything you have done related to this order and all evidence of us ever meeting including forgetting you saw me at all during that time. I will require two copies of this suit and mask. This should help cover all necessary expenses including extra to help silence anyone who might ask questions. If it doesn't work, contact me and provide with all of their information to track them down."

Lelouch gave Mr. Vendeur a stack of Britannian Banknotes, which included the cost of the costume, its production, and materials along with extra to buy the silence of anyone who might ask questions.

"Yes sir and I'll have the best in the business to work on it, but the slide system for the mask might take time."

"Excellent, but do not worry about rushing. I want this to be of exceptional quality, so I do not want this to be rushed."

* * *

Lelouch wasn't the only one busy in the wake of Clovis's demise. Junko as Monokuma wasn't wasting time, but unlike Lelouch, she was preparing for another event that was sure to unleash chaos and despair upon Area 11. She was controlling Monokuma from the secret control room as he was relaying orders to various sub-leaders of Ultimate Despair. This was because Junko had just finished going over the casualty report related to the members of the military slain in the battle for Shinjuku Ghetto.

The name Suzaku Kururugi was nowhere to be found.

Junko was smiling maliciously as she had a hunch as to what became of Suzaku afterward. She was only waiting for her contacts to confirm it, but if she was right then a golden opportunity to further destroy the government's credibility and the public's faith in the military and law enforcement. Not to mention if the Purist Faction acts as she is anticipating, assuming her suspicions regarding Suzaku are correct, then she'll be able to destroy them as well.

"So what's the verdict?" Junko asked upon noticing that Tsumugi Shirogane had entered the room.

"I've confirmed that Suzaku didn't just only survive being shot in the back, but he was chosen to pilot ASEEC's prototype the Z-01 Lancelot."

"Oh, that is very interesting."

"Yes, our contacts within the military have confirmed it with a transfer notice of Suzaku being transferred into the Advance Special Envoy Engineering Corps this morning" Tsumugi added as she adjusted her glasses.

"I want them to keep an eye on those idiots belonging to the Purist Faction. I'll bet ten grand they pull a power play with Clovis out of the picture."

Tsumugi seemed doubtful, "is that wise given the scandal involving Kewell Soresi only recently?"

"That is exactly why they would pull a publicity stunt by framing someone like Suzaku who was the son of Japan's last Prime Minister who was involved in the battle even if he helped them."

The blue haired teen understood Junko's reasoning. "I see they are desperately trying to salvage their reputation."

"And their desperate need for a scapegoat is what will doom them and cause chaos to spread like wildfire before leaving despair in its wake."

All Junko needed for her plan to come together was for the Purist Faction to follow through on her expectations.

"I want to be told the moment Suzaku gets arrested because I am planning something big for when they parade him to the courthouse."

* * *

Following his visit to Mr. Vendeur, the former prince was sitting at a fountain located in a small park outside of Hope's Peak Academy. He had just finished delivering the papers necessary for his admittance to the school. The female clerk at the desk quickly processed his paper collecting some additional information. He was finished much quicker than he was expecting, although Lelouch had some issues with school security when he arrived. Once he showed them his paperwork, he was allowed entry to meet with the administrator clerk.

Lelouch thought about exploring the school, but it didn't seem possible until he was an official student. With some extra time, Lelouch decided to explore the grounds outside the academy, but there was much to speak of so Lelouch chose to rest sitting at a bench by a fountain in the heart of a small park.

 _Security here seems tighter compared to most government buildings I have seen._

Lelouch's cell phone began going off, prompting him to answer it. He saw Sayoko's name on the caller ID just as he took the call.

"Hello, Sayoko."

"How did it go?"

"It went surprisingly faster than I had expected," Lelouch said as he leaned back against the bench. "I thought I would take a look around before I come back, but I guess that isn't possible."

"I am glad to hear that, but when do you plan on telling the others?"

Lelouch sighed at this, although he knew Milly might react the most to his departure yet it wasn't like he would be gone forever. He made arrangements to continue staying at Ashford Academy thanks to his sister still attending the middle school division. Commuting from Ashford Academy to Hope's Peak wouldn't be much of a problem, but Lelouch began to wonder if obtaining his own place might be a good idea considering he might be much _busier_ in the weeks to come.

 _The further I keep Nunnally away from my efforts to crush Britannia the better._

Lelouch had no intention of losing to Britannia of course, but he would be an idiot not to plan for the worst-case scenario. His discussions with Mukuro and what had happened yesterday has driven that point home. No matter how well he might prepare for the future unknown factors beyond his control could doom him if he wasn't careful.

"I'll tell them soon, but I just don't want my departure," Lelouch paused for a moment to consider his next words carefully, "to be too much of a big deal."

In fact, when Lelouch made the arrangements to keep his living conditions at Ashford Academy, he had made sure to keep it clear that Milly was to stay in the dark. He knew she would find out eventually, because she had ways of learning about such things, so the longer he could delay it the better.

Sayoko chuckled on the other side, "I understand, but that could…make it more chaotic."

"Fair enough, but it doesn't sound like it will end well either way," Lelouch answered before deciding to begin wrapping up the conversation. "Anyway, I should go, but I'll see you and Nunnally this afternoon."

"Very well, I'll see you later then."

"I shall, goodbye," Lelouch said before hanging up, but moments later a girl to his right asked.

"Hajime?"

The girl was shorter than Lelouch by eight inches even though, he didn't know it yet, she was a year older than he was. She has light-pink hair that is slightly curled at the ends hanging down to her shoulders. She wore a white hair clip with a spaceship modeled after those from the game Galaga on the bangs on the left side of her head.

She possessed a fair skin complexion and pale pink eyes. Like all female students from the main course, she wore the standard dress shirt, skirt, and red ribbon tie. However, under the uniform jacket, she wore a cream-colored hoodie instead with hood possessing hornlike points and pink eyes making it identical to video game character. The last of her attire consists of a pink backpack with a cat's head, and she wore a pair of black thigh high socks and white loafers.

"Excuse me," Lelouch replied politely, but his confusion was evident on his face.

"I am sorry I thought you were someone I knew? Your voice sounds exactly like his."

"Really," Lelouch inquired, "do we look alike?"

"No, his hair is a different color with an ahoge on top, and his eyes were different too," the girl answered, "but you do look to be as tall as he is."

"I see," Lelouch replied, "I am sorry about getting your hopes up Miss..."

"I am Chiaki Nanami."

"Lelouch Lamperouge," The former prince said, introducing himself, "are you a student at Hope's Peak?"

Chiaki nodded her head.

"I'll be attending myself in the next couple days."

"Oh, and what is your title? I am the Ultimate Gamer."

"Ultimate Strategist."

Chiaki's expression indicated that she was intrigued by his title as she tilted her head to one side. "What kind of games do you like?"

"Chess is one of my favorites, but I suppose if I go over the games I have played I would have to say," Lelouch said pausing to consider a list of favorite games. "To name some that left a positive impression would be Civilization, Starcraft, Gala Omega, Double Dragon II and..."

Lelouch was abruptly interrupted as Chiaki moved closer to Lelouch, so much so that he could feel her breath on him as she was inches from his face. She had even leaned forward to be close as possible.

"REALLY," Chiaki exclaimed excitedly, "You played Double Dragon II and Gala Omega!"

"Uh-yes," Lelouch replied as he was caught off guard by Chiaki's passion for the subject of video games. "Seven years ago I had a friend who played Double Dragon II. I usually don't play fighting games, but he convinced me to play."

Lelouch answered while recalling in the past that Suzaku asked him to play because he didn't have anyone else to play the game with. On the one hand, Lelouch suspected it was because Suzaku had always found Lelouch easy to beat in the two-player versus mode. Suzaku couldn't beat him at any other games, except blackjack where he oddly got all of the right numbers, until one day Lelouch did beat Suzaku in Double Dragon II.

 _He_ _was probably_ _careless that day._

The young prince played Gala Omega with Nunnally and his half-sister Euphemia, who both loved the game themselves and pressed Lelouch into playing it with them when they were children.

"Hardly anyone plays those games anymore," Chiaki commented happily.

"Yeah, I recall some copies were lost during the invasion."

"I still have the game consoles too, but they weren't easy to hold on to."

"I don't doubt that," Lelouch said before deciding to ask, "so was your friend a serious gamer like you?"

"Well," Chiaki was thoughtful for a moment, "he was kinda an average guy, but he was the only person I knew who played Gala Omega around five times."

"I see, so do you know what happened to him?"

"I don't know what happened to him." Chiaki said as her expression saddened slightly, "We used to meet up here everyday, but one day he just stopped showing up. I don't know what happened to him. My teacher told me he was fine, but I still haven't seen him."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed as a thought came to mind.

"Was he in the same class as you?"

"No, he was a Reserve Course student."

 _Could he be the student used in that experiment?_

Lelouch did consider this information was too convenient, but it was a name he could use in his investigation into the project he was planning to conduct.

"His name was Hajime?"

"Yes, Hajime Hinata."

Lelouch made a mental note of that name.

"Maybe I'll ask around, and perhaps I might find out what happened to him."

"You will?" Chiaki said as her expression looked more positive than it was moments ago.

"Sure, because I am curious about meeting him now."

"It would be wonderful if you learned anything, but you are welcomed to visit our class. We are of the 77th Class."

"I see, so you are a year ahead of me then."

Chiaki nodded before adding, "We are thinking about having a video game tournament. However, we are one player short."

"Your class doesn't have a full roster of sixteen students?"

"Yeah, so you would be a big help."

"I would be interested."

 _Maybe it wouldn't hurt since I might find those some worth recurring later as allies._ Lelouch though as he saw a potential means of gaining possible allies against Britannia in the future.

* * *

Later that day Lelouch had managed to return to the school in time for the Student Council meeting to go over the upcoming budget for the clubs next month, so far no one seemed aware of what the young man had been up to. It didn't help matters that Milly hadn't warned them about the budget nor had the spending reports from the other clubs.

Thankfully she remained unaware of his impending departure from Ashford Academy.

"Lelouch you better not think about nodding off," Milly warned with a stern tone as she slapped a large rolled up piece of paper.

"It would be a problem if you told us about this yesterday instead of waiting until the last minute," Lelouch grumbled in annoyance.

"Well we can," Milly said looking for a way to change the subject. "But there is another matter we need to discuss. Did all of you know Lelouch got accepted to Hope's Peak Academy?"

Lelouch internally groaned as he prepared himself for what was to come next, but Junko was struggling to hide the devious smile on her face as she might've let it slip anonymously about Lelouch gaining acceptance to Hope's Peak.

"YOU WHAT!?" Rivalz and Shirley exclaimed together before Lelouch felt the eyes of everyone in the room upon him.

After a moment of uneasy silence, Rivalz was the first to speak.

"Graduations buddy..."

Shirley seemed more emotional than Rivalz as she asked. "Oh Lulu, why didn't you say anything?"

"It is because there was a certain someone would've made too much of a big deal out of it," Lelouch replied prompting all eyes on Milly who stared blankly at the group for a minute before...

"Oh Lelouch," Milly began shedding tears, "how can you be so mean?! Don't you remember all those good times? How can you say I would make a big deal out of it?"

Lelouch used a free hand to massage the right temple of his head having been proven right once again.

"This is exactly why I didn't tell anyone."

"You should've said something, Lulu!" Shirley said joining the argument.

"And have a repeat of what happened during the last farewell party, we had for the departing former members of the Student Council?"

Everyone was silent, but Junko flashed a toothy grin recalling said party.

"That's why I propose someone else should plan my departure celebration, so we can hopefully avoid a huge," Lelouch suggested before pausing to choose his next words carefully, "mess..."

"Not me!?" Milly said, seemingly on the verge of tears once again.

Lelouch wasn't buying it but instead sought to choose someone who would be the safest person who could be picked to plan the party. He pointed at Mukuro who was understandably surprised by the fact Lelouch was selecting her. Just as Junko was as her jaw looked ready to fall to the ground in shock.

"WHY Mukuro!?"

"I think that's obvious Junko."

Lelouch didn't need to explain it, especially since she knew the members of the student council as well as he did.

If he had picked Shirley, then Milly could've manipulated her using teasing and more to shape the party towards her tastes. The same thing would've happened with Nina, but unlike Shirley, the busty blonde could just play the childhood friends card to get her way. Rivalz was out of the question due to his unrequited love for Milly as he would've planned the party more in Milly's favor.

Junko was out of the question because she realized Lelouch would bring up what happened during the Candy Exchange during Valentine's Day.

When one considered those facts, then it was obvious that Mukuro was the safest choice.

"But," Mukuro was apparently sure that she was the wrong person to ask, although her voice was shaken out of fear what Junko might do to her.

Of course, it would wait until they were alone; because Junko avoided mistreating her knowing Lelouch would disapprove of it, causing the young man to alienate her which Junko didn't want.

"I mean you should pick..." Mukuro tried to think of someone else, but the only person she could think of was, "Nunnally."

Lelouch had to admit in some way that choice was likely a much safer choice, but he didn't want to burden his sister with such a task. He did consider that Junko or Milly would sweet talk her into doing the party their way.

"Nunnally isn't part of the student council, and besides, she has much on her plate to deal with," Lelouch replied, although that wasn't entirely true, it wasn't entirely false either. Besides school, Nunnally had physical therapy and an occasional doctor appointment.

"Well, ok," Milly said with a sly smile, "we'll let Mukuro plan, but there is another matter we need to take care of."

"What would that be?" Rivalz inquired.

"The introduction of the newest member of the Student Council. How many of you know Kallen Stadtfeld?"

No one answered, although technically Junko and Lelouch were familiar with her.

"For those of you not familiar with her Kallen has had issue attending clubs," Milly explained since it was required of all of the students to be part of a club. "Since Kallen has been absent for a while due to her poor health it was decided by my grandfather that she join the Student Council."

 _Poor health, yeah fucking right._ Junko thought while trying to suppress the need to laugh.

"Junko, would you mind fetching her?" Milly asked. "I guess you can bring Mukuro along. We're going to throw a party to welcome her."

"Sure, Mukuro and I can take care of that. We'll make sure she doesn't collapse or something." Junko said with a smile before waving for Mukuro come with her.

Once the two had left the rest of the student council left the meeting room to gather in the ballroom where the induction party would be held. The party's setup was simple enough as the food was being prepared by Milly with pizza being delivered to provide more variety for the celebration.

As the last minute preparations were taken care of by Rivalz and Nina, the former prince saw an opportunity to formulate a plan. Ever since Shinjuku, Lelouch has been working on the way to create a plausible excuse to meet with Kallen privately to avoid making her suspicious of him. His Geass could only work on the same person once, so he deemed it was the best he could create a situation that would give Kallen to not suspect him of anything.

With Mukuro's help, it didn't take long for Junko to track Kallen down. Once she had been found, they brought her to the ballroom of the student clubhouse.

Compared to when Lelouch had seen Kallen last she carried herself in school very differently regarding both appearance and personality if her expression was anything to go by. Her red hair was combed down straight while Kallen appeared more to be a milquetoast and withdrawn girl.

At that moment Milly arrived rolling in a cart while wearing a light blue apron.

"Is everyone here?"

The cart was loaded with large plates and a pot full of beef stew. Milly began unloading the silver pushcart with her placing the food on one of the round tables in the room as Junko put one hand on Kallen's shoulder.

"They now include the newbie!" Junko announced.

"Welcome Miss Stadtfeld," Milly greeted with a smile as she finished setting the table. "I am Milly Ashford the Student Council President, a pleasure to meet you."

"Oh," Kallen replied timidly, "it's nice to meet you too."

"I am Rivalz, the secretary, if there is anything you need, then I am your man."

"Shirley, but I am also a member of the swim club."

"Hi, my name is Nina."

"And this is soon to be our former Vice President Lelouch," Milly said, putting a hand on Lelouch's shoulder before adding, "he's going to Hope's Peak Academy."

Lelouch was annoyed if his expression was any indication, but he brushed it aside. The sooner this day was over, the better.

At that moment Nunnally appeared, as her wheelchair rolled into the room, carrying two boxes of pizza on her lap.

"I am sorry to trouble you Shirley, but could you help me put these boxes down on the table?" Nunnally asked sweetly.

"Sure thing Nunnally."

As Shirley took the pizza boxes from Nunnally, the student council president provided an introduction.

"This is Nunnally, Lelouch's little sister."

"I am only in the middle school division so I can't be part of the council."

"That's alright; you are an honorary member in our book," Rivalz noted, which Nina didn't disagree with.

"It's a nice to meet you, Kallen." Nunnally greeted kindly.

"Likewise, it's a pleasure to meet you as well."

"Ok," Junko said while hiding how bored she was, with a remote in her hand. "Why don't I put on MTV for this party?"

Little did anyone know Junko had an alternative motive for switching on the television that sat near the stairs inside the ballroom. She had received a particular text message while she and Mukuro tracked down Kallen. Seemingly unaware of it, but knowing what would be on was the best way to kill the partying and cheerful atmosphere that was making her feel nauseous. Upon turning on the television, it was displaying a breaking news report, which Junko was hoping for.

"We interrupt this program for an important announcement from the Viceroy's Palace," a female newscaster announced. "We have received word that Prince Clovis has been assassinated, although the identity of the culprit has yet to be announced we bring you live in the State Broadcast room for an announcement from Margrave Jeremiah Gottwald who has been appointed acting Viceroy until Princess Cornelia arrives to relieve him."

The next scene viewed on the television showed a man in his mid-twenties with tanned skin, blue hair and gold eyes wearing a formal blue military uniform. Standing him with we're other members of the Purist Faction. Jeremiah stood behind a podium addressing a crowd consisting of reporters and cameramen and women.

"Prince Clovis has been taken from us. He fought for peace and justice, against all of the elevens!" Jeremiah declared before dramatically raising a fist. "He died a martyr!"

 _What a joke that is,_ Lelouch scoffed internally.

"We must all bury our sorrow and carry on his will."

The scene switched back to the newsroom where Lelouch and everyone else saw the newscaster given a sheet of paper.

"We just received word that the man suspected of killing Prince Clovis has been captured." The newscaster reported before the screen switched to a live broadcast displaying a pair of soldiers escorting a clearly confused Suzaku who was wearing a prisoner jumpsuit. "Private Suzaku Kururugi, a former Eleven and Honorary Britannian."

Lelouch was utterly stunned, although Junko put upon a mask of surprise, she was grinning on the inside.

"I repeat Suzaku Kururugi has been arrested for murder."

* * *

Just like that no one was in a partying mood. Lelouch, Junko, and Mukuro were walking Kallen back using the time to give her a formal explanation of her duties as a member of the student council. Little did Kallen realize Lelouch was using it as cover for something else.

He managed to speak with Junko and Mukuro beforehand while everyone managed to partake of the feast Milly had prepared so it wouldn't go to waste.

"I can't say much except, sorry about the party ending before it began," Lelouch said as they neared the girl's dormitories. They rounded a corner while Mukuro was very discreet in being aware of their surroundings to signal Lelouch that the opportunity was right to cast his Geass on her.

"It's hardly your fault," Kallen replied, but she actually didn't mind either way, "I guess it was bad timing, but the president offered to get together tonight in the bath."

"Really, but I should tell you though," Lelouch said activating his Geass, "I want answers."

Mukuro began keeping an eye out for anyone who might happen on the scene. Junko watched as Lelouch started to interrogate Kallen as she snapped to attention entirely enthralled by Lelouch's Geass.

"Of course."

"Were you piloting the Glasgow in Shinjuku?"

"Yes."

"Why terrorism?"

"Because I am Japanese, although technically I am Half-Britannian."

"Half-Blood," Lelouch was a bit surprised, "why go so far?"

"It is because of my older brother and the friends I had who are Japanese. My mother gave me to my father when his official wife couldn't have children altering the records to hide my heritage." Kallen explained. "My brother led our resistance group originally, but he was killed before we stole the poison gas."

"I see, and what are your thoughts about the man who saved you and commanded your friends?"

"I am not sure why he helped us, but we are interested in meeting him so we can find out how he negotiated that cease-fire."

As Kallen answered, Junko moved behind Kallen before waving her right hand in front of Kallen's eyes. When she didn't respond, she proceeded to use both of her hands to grope and feel Kallen's chest and body much to Lelouch's annoyance.

"What are you doing Junko?" Lelouch said, trying to keep his voice low so he wouldn't draw attention, but despite Junko's actions, Kallen remained virtually motionless and unaware of the inspection Junko was conducting. Kallen stood completely still with no sign of protest or any sign of being aware of Junko's actions.

"I am curious if they are responsive to anything you do to them while under your Geass," Junko answered with a mischievous smirk. "I guess unless you order otherwise they are completely indifferent to anything else. Hell, I think I could get away with striping her naked or putting a bomb vest on her."

Lelouch tried to ignore what was happening in front of him as he put one hand over his eyes.

"Kallen, I assume you maintain contact with your resistance group? If so how?"

"Yes," Kallen replied stoically. "I use my cell phone with a location scrambler attached to it."

"Could you give me the number?" Lelouch asked before turning to Junko. "You better stop that."

Junko ceased her attacks as Kallen gave Lelouch the phone number. Once that was over Kallen was released from the influence of his Geass. Once Lelouch saw that Kallen was fully aware and in control once again, Lelouch resumed their conversation like nothing had like happened.

"You shouldn't go to that get together as the President can be quite eccentric to put it lightly. I would strongly suggest that you should skip out on that."

Kallen was slightly confused but resumed like nothing had changed as she didn't notice anything was amiss.

"I'll think about that," Kallen said as the group reached the entrance going into the dorms. Once Kallen was gone Lelouch shot Junko a glare as she and Mukuro began walking away from the dorms.

"What you did was uncalled for, what if someone saw it?"

Junko was unaffected by Lelouch's reprimand. "Mukuro would've warned us, besides you learned something new didn't you?"

"I don't see how your," Lelouch said before pausing to choose his next words carefully, "inspection was necessary."

"It would've gotten a reaction out of her. Besides, if she wasn't under Geass I am sure she would've reacted in a very...energetic way I sure."

"Just don't do it again."

Once she was inside her room, Kallen laid down on the bed. She was busy processing the news report about Suzaku being arrested for Clovis's murder, but she wondered if Suzaku was the one who had helped them in Shinjuku. Before she could give the matter any more thought her cell phone began ringing.

She pulled it out of her pocket, accepted the call without seeing who it was, and brought the receiver next to her ear.

"Hello..."

"Glad you're still alive Q-1." Lelouch leaving Kallen stunned as she recognized the voice as the same one who directed them in Shinjuku. "Sixteen hundred hours the day after tomorrow. The observation deck at Tokyo Tower. Come alone."

"WAIT!?" Kallen snapped, "WHO ARE YOU?!"

There was no response as Lelouch hung up.

The former prince began walking back to his own room, although on the one hand, he was glad Suzaku was alive the news of him being arrested would no doubt forced him to accelerate his own plans.

Even so, he was determined to save Suzaku.

* * *

As Suzaku who never would've expected he would be offered up as a scapegoat was sitting alone in his cell with his arms tightly bound because of the prison jumpsuit he was dressed in. Sitting on a chair before him outside of his cell was Lloyd who had come with his usual oddly cheerful demeanor. Considering the violent and rough treatment, he had been given since he was arrested Lloyd was a welcoming sight for the young man.

"I got good news for you," Lloyd began while smiling, "those three you asked me about were not on the list of casualties."

"That is good news," Suzaku let out a sigh of relief.

"I can't say the same for you through. No one is pulling for you, and our testimony got thrown out."

"What," Suzaku said clearly surprised, but deep down a part of him told him that this should've been expected. It was apparent he was being offered up as a scapegoat since it was painfully clear that the authorities couldn't catch the real killer.

"You'll get a trial though, but it's going to be nothing more than a well-scripted performance."

Suzaku's face changed to one of grim resignation. "I see, so be it I have no regrets."

"Not sure if that would be a good idea, especially if the real killer were to claim responsibility."

Suzaku suddenly realized something after thinking about everything that happened recently. If Suzaku was tried and executed, but then if the real killer appeared and revealed it was him or her then the people would lose complete faith in the government. Not to mention it would be a colossal embarrassment and whatever influence and power the Purist Faction had would be gone with no way of ever recovering.

"It would be pure chaos."

Lloyd adjusted his glasses with a knowing smirk on his face. "Glad to see we're on the same page, which is why I am trying to get in touch with the Prime Minister and see if we can straighten this whole mess out before this turned into something a lot worse."

* * *

In another corner of Japan an elderly man with translucent white hair, a matching bushy beard, and a mustache. He wore a pair of glasses over his pale brown eyes and a white dress shirt and dark pants sat on a black sofa. Next to him was a young woman of seventeen years of age with a height of five foot six. Her purple eyes, pale complexion, and waist-length lavender hair made her stood out. She wore a white blouse with a light brown tie along with a short purple skirt and heeled-knee purple high boots.

Her hands were covered by a pair of custom-made purple gloves.

The two had just watched the latest news report regarding Suzaku and the murder of Prince Clovis, the older man, Fuhito Kirigiri turned to his granddaughter.

"So Kyoko do you think Mr. Kururugi is guilty as they say?"

"I cannot be sure without evidence, but I find it highly unlikely he could've been in the position to kill someone of Clovis's position and title as a prince." Kyoko Kirigiri replied bluntly. "There has been no report on how someone of Suzaku's position could've gotten close enough. The army never used Honorary Britannians soldiers as guards for those of Clovis's position nor would they allow someone to just walk in and kill him."

Fuhito nodded in approval, "yes you are probably right. This is just one big publicity stunt for the sake of the Purist Faction, which if it works it will pave the way for Margrave Jeremiah to shut down the practice of giving honorary status to non-Britannians."

"Yet if the real killer is discovered or announces him or herself?"

"Then the Purist Faction will be finished, so I suppose it might be fortunate you'll be at Hope's Peak Academy should the truth get out. When that happens coupled with Princess Cornelia assuming the position of Viceroy that school might be the safest place to be."

Kyoko glanced at her grandfather, "I know you don't approve of my enrollment at Hope's Peak."

"No, but I understand your reasons for it." Fuhito said with an expression of understanding. "On the other hand with things as they are maybe your time, there could be helpful since detective work for the Kirigiri Family has become difficult ever since Japan became Area 11. Even though we have done as well as one can expect, but once Cornelia comes to power, I fear things will likely become more difficult."

The young woman leaned back against the sofa wondering if the real killer would be revealed and what would happen next.

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater:**

Monokuma is standing on a large stage wearing a tuxedo while he was behind a podium as a spotlight was shined down upon him.

"Now it is time for us to reveal the top ten of which Danganronpa characters should survive this story, so drum roll please," Monokuma said before pulling out an envelope. "Our champion is…"

The two-tone bear tore open the envelope to read its contents.

"Chiaki Nanami!" Monokuma announced, "Wow so the gamer girl has quite the fan base then, so our second place winner is Sonia Nevermind."

Monokuma tossed the envelope aside.

"No big surprise there, but for those wondering the author is planning a Sonia and Gundham pairing," Monokuma announced before he could hear someone asking a question from the audience. "Oh what about Kazuichi Soda?"

The bear began laughing.

"That loser was among four characters who got NO votes, besides another fanfic featuring that couple plus the game and the anime sold him on the idea. He'll be lucky to survive this story." Monokuma replied before pushing a button to pull back the stage curtains to reveal a bound and gagged Yasuhiro Hagakure sitting in a wooden chair. "The poll to decide Yasuhiro's fate is still open until the next chapter comes out, so better cast your votes because…"

Monokuma's red eye began glowing before a burst of laughter echoed.

"So far the majority want him executed!"

Yasuhiro struggled like mad trying to escape while trying to cry out to the audience for help.

"Come back next time for a Monokuma Theater special that might include an execution!"

* * *

A/N: Yep as Monokuma noted Chiaki Nanami won hands down for my curiosity poll, but she is among those I am planning for her to survive the story. Of course, that may or may not be a good thing given what will lie ahead.

I am planning for Chiaki and Hajime, but that will depend on how "certain" events will play out. Until then she has Lelouch to hang out with, which as a fun fact for anyone who didn't know that Lelouch and Hajime share the same English voice actor. In fact, in a strange sense, Hajime and Lelouch are almost opposite of one another which I intend to use in the story.

Class 77 shall get a proper intro next chapter, but I did see an excellent chance to introduce Kyoko.

Now, as far as Kyoko and Makoto go that is still up in the air because Sayaka is still alive. I am content to let it play out and see who meshes better with Makoto based on how the story plays out.

On the other hand, Kyoko and Sayaka are among those I have as backup choices for Lelouch as a replacement love interest if he and Junko don't work out. The others for my backup candidates besides Mukuro are Seiko and Miaya Gekkogahara, so I am ready for. However, the story turns out when we get further in.

Class 78 will also be introduced next chapter.

So I'll see you guys next chapter, and I hope you liked this one despite how short it was.


	11. Chapter 11 Chaos and Despair

A/N: Whew I want to thank you all for the reviews, the favorites, and followers. I'll keep this brief since this will be one of the longest chapters yet thanks to a lot of events going down. I thought I was going to have a chance to include introducing the members of Class 78th, but some of the events in this chapter ended up being bigger than I thought, of course near the end the chapter gets bloody too.

I was a little vague in the beginning for good reasons, and I'll save the rest at the end of the chapter.

Enjoy

2/13/18: edited and cleaned up.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their_ _mind._ _"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

 **His name is Zero**

(Two Days Later)

The eerie sounds and the darkness didn't help a somewhat obese young man wearing the standard boy's uniform for Hope's Peak Academy. He had light brown hair and a perpetual blush on his cheeks with hazel eyes. He nervously scanned his surroundings before exiting the cabin to venture out into the woods while carrying a gas can.

"Alright, who has the car keys, because I have the gas? I am heading to the yellow car." Ryota Mitarai (Ultimate Animator) said as he carefully walked through the forest, although he wanted to run he knew that would be an unwise move.

"I just finished repairing the propeller," Chiaki Nanami replied before moving away from the boat parked down at a small dock along the shore of a large lake. The bright moonlight provided enough illumination for the young girl to see her surroundings, but like Ryota she was alert.

Suddenly the sound of firecrackers could be heard.

"YOU FOOL!"

The young eighteen-year-old teen turned his gray eyes; his right eye was colored red thanks to a red contact lens, onto the young man next to him responsible. He wore the typical Hope's Peak Academy uniform, but his attire was modified to his personal choice of style. He wore a white shirt, with a grayish-purple cross design across its front, under his school jacket. He wore a long purple scarf that typically covers his mouth and black boots with many straps across them. His left arm was wrapped in bandages with the left sleeve of his jacket rolled up to reveal more of his bandaged arm. He wore a pair of yellow earrings, had a pale complexion with dark rings under his eyes with a scar under his left eye. His hair was also unusual in how it was styled as it was generally black in color, but with pale gray streaks through it. The back of it was shaved from the neck up to his ears, and the rest of his hair has been slicked back except a poof of hair in the middle that sticks up and is slightly curly.

Gundham Tanaka (Ultimate Breeder) glared daggers at his companion. "Your act has doomed us as it will surely summon the demon to our location!"

"Oh come on there is no way she knows we are here!"

Gundham's foolish companion was a young man the same age as his, but he wore a blue jumper with a white shirt worn under it that could be seen with part of it unzipped. He also wore a black cap on top of his head. He possesses medium-length hot pink hair, and pink eyes, due to prescription contact lenses, sharp teeth, and a fair skin complexion with bright yellow sneakers.

Unfortunately, Kazuichi Soda (Ultimate Mechanic) did attract the demon to their location, which was signaled by the sound of the door into the cabin they were inside being broken down by an ax the demon wielded.

"LET THE DEMON COME!" Gundham declared before brandishing a machete ready to face the demon head on. "I the Dark Lord shall face this demon and make them understand the powers of GUNDHAM TANAKA!"

Gundham looked to his right to see that Kazuichi had fled through a window in the back of the cabin.

"YOU PATHETIC COWARD!"

"Oh come on are you really surprised he ditched? I guess Gundham is more of a man than you eh Kazuichi, and that is saying something."

That comment came from a young woman with long blonde hair, tied into a curved ponytail with a black scrunchy possessing a fair skin complexion. When she came to Hope's Peak Academy one year ago, she was quite short and petite, but has since experienced a growth spurt and was now five feet and five inches. She wore a yellow kimono with a pink rose-outline pattern and a purple obi sash. She also wore zori for her choice of footwear.

Hiyoko Saionji (Ultimate Traditional Dancer) made it a hobby of belittling and teasing Kazuichi, but there was another who was more of a frequent target.

"We all know you can't kill Jason unless you have the right items. Gundham is as good as dead!"

Jason broke down the door, and Gundham was face to face with the un-killable Jason, who was a walking tower of muscle wearing a blue button-up shirt and matching pants with shoes, he was bald with his head being misshapen wearing a white hockey mask. In one hand he was holding his ax.

"I care not if I am unprepared, but the Dark Lord runs from no one! Come Jason Voorhees and face the might of Gundham Tanaka!"

"Hey Hiyoko I found the radio, and I am calling for help." Mahiru Koizumi said as the young woman was working on with the radio trying to contact help while Hiyoko's character had found car keys when she opened up one of the drawers of a desk inside another log cabin the two were searching.

"I got the car keys!"

Gundham was not so fortunate; although he put up a good fight, he was hit by one swing from Jason's ax before counterattacking with his machete, but missing, giving the masked serial killer a chance to grab him by the throat. Gundham furiously pushed the E button on his keyboard trying to break free, but he was too weakened from Jason's strike, so he saw the animation of his character being executed.

Jason picked him up, lifting him over his head, before slamming him face first into a desk, breaking it into two, thus killing Gundham's character instantly.

"I guess that's one kill for Sonia so far," Ryota noted as he was sneaking off to find a car battery for the yellow car so they could have a means of escaping.

The 77th Class of Hope's Peak Academy was playing the multiplayer game Friday the 13th, which was based on the popular series of horror movies of the same name.

The game was simple as most players would play as camp counselors of Crystal Lake, the lakeside camp where most of the movie events took place, or other civilian characters based on those from the movies. One player would be chosen to play as the infamous Jason Voorhees, who was impossible to kill unless specific requirements were met, but given the difficulty of those conditions, it was deemed best to escape as soon as possible as was the game's objective. Each player either had to survive using repairing any of the two cars on the map or the boat by retrieving the necessary parts along with gas for each vehicle's engine to escape.

Another way to escape was to repair the telephone lines and call for police and then run to them when they arrive, but the longer each round dragged on, the stronger Jason would become while unlocking new abilities to hunt down the other players.

It was possible to hit Jason to stun him, but beyond that, he could recover quickly.

Sonia Nevermind was chosen to control Jason, but to keep it fair and to give the rest of her classmates a chance she was using a computer in an enclosed temporary boxlike chamber that blocked out the noise and kept Sonia from seeing where her fellow classmates were. Sonia had thirteen more of her classmates to hunt down and kill before she could win.

For the sake of being in the _right state of_ _mind,_ Sonia was wearing a white hockey mask while she was controlling Jason.

"Gundham bravely faced the killer, so let us press forward and escape!"

That came from one of the most massive and most muscular students of Class 77; he seemed older than he looked which was due to his muscular appearance as he stood at a towering six feet and four inches tall. He wore a blue tracksuit with the zipper undone at the top revealing a white shirt he wore underneath. He also wore a set of heavy chains around his neck. He wore wooden sandals; he had a tanned complexion with two scars over his hazel eyes. He possesses black hair and a black goatee.

"Even with an unstoppable killer pursuing us a team manager must remain calm." Nekomaru Nidai (Ultimate Team Manager) said as he and the rest of his class were working to survive, and find weapons to fend off Sonia.

"Hey Peko, take that gas can, and I'll cover you. We'll gas up the boat Chiaki just fixed."

The young man was among the shortest of his class being five feet and one inch tall, but this was complicated by his baby face-like appearance. He had a fair skin complexion, wearing the traditional uniform for male students, but he usually foregoes wearing the jacket, and he replaced the brown pants with black pants instead. He had dusty blond hair styled into a crew cut and has freckles along the bridge of his nose. He possessed gold eyes and permanent blush marks on both cheeks.

"If the car is a bust we'll escape on the boat after we find the last piece of fix it." Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu (Ultimate Yakuza) said as he picked up a shotgun he found inside the boathouse he and his fellow classmate, Peko Pekoyama (Ultimate Swordswoman), were exploring looking for weapons and parts.

Peko was taller than Fuyuhiko, being at least five feet and six inches tall; she had a slightly pale complexion that added to her striking appearance due to her red eyes that she wore glasses over. Her hair was also unusual being silver styled into two braids along the sides of her head with black ribbons securing each braid at the top, and two red ties to hold each one together at the bottom. She also wore the same female school uniform as other students, but she didn't wear the jacket. She modified it to wear black thighs through. She did carry a bamboo sword with her along with a black carrying case specifically for it.

"Are you sure you don't want me to cover you?" Peko asked.

"I got this. Just focus on getting to the boat before Sonia finds us."

Meanwhile, another was working on finding parts for the car. The player controlling his character was the shortest out of the class. He stood at only four feet and four inches tall with a plump figure. Befitting his title of the Ultimate Cook, he was dressed in a classic chef outfit. It was made up of a white apron and a red undershirt, a red handkerchief-style scarf around his neck. He wore a small chef's hat over his dark brown hair, which has been styled in a pompadour that leans to the left. His eyes appeared to be little black dots, which were unusual for him, but his cooking was unquestionably the best in the entire world.

"Guys, I found a car battery!" Teruteru Hanamura announced happily before exiting a barn to make his way over to the yellow car.

"Can I come out?"

The timid voice came from the class's Ultimate Nurse, Mikan Tsumiki; she possessed a fair skin complexion with long, choppy, dark purple hair that is cut unevenly due to a lifetime of being mistreated by bullies throughout her life. Mikan wore the same school uniform as other female students, but she had a band-aid on her right cheek and bandages wrapped around her right leg and left knee. She also possesses light grayish-purple eyes.

Mikan was hiding in one of the small cabins, but more specifically, she was hiding under a bed.

"Ibuki thinks Mikan and Ibuki should go together and get into the car with Hiyoko and Mahiru!"

Ibuki Mioda (Ultimate Musician) was the most upbeat of their class. Her choice of dress and style was a reflection of this as she possessed a pale complexion with pink eyes. She has long multi-colored hair consisting of black, pink, blue and white, some of which is tied into two oni horns on the top of her head. Her choice of attire consists of a white dress shirt with a pink tie, a black pleated skirt with a thin belt. She also has a blue scrunchie on her right wrist; a yellow spiked bracelet on her left, two black rings on her left hand and black thigh highs with white skeletal markings upon them. Lastly, she wore a pair of white sneakers as well.

"I am not sure if that would be a wise decision, but I think I'll follow Chiaki."

The Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 77th was a tall young man with an ashen complexion and standing at least five feet tall and nine inches. He wore the standard Hope's Peak Academy uniform, but with the addition of a red and green striped sweater vest. He had shoulder-length white messy hair and light green and gray eyes.

"I just got to help Fuyuhiko get the gas into the boat," Nagito Komaeda said before heading towards the dock that sat along the side of the lake.

"I rather get into the yellow car," Akane Owari (Ultimate Gymnast) noted before adding, "There were food and supplies inside the back right?"

The last member of their class was one of the tallest in the class, but shorter than Nekomaru. Befitting of her title she possessed an athletic, but curvaceous physique. Akane has a tanned skin tone with brown eyes and matching her shoulder-length unkempt hair. She wore a short-sleeved white shirt with the top few buttons undone exposing a significant amount of her considerable cleavage. She wore a red miniskirt with white loafers, but with no socks.

Hiyoko and Mahiru arrived at the car first while it was parked on the main road by the camp's main building. Ryota was on his way back, having gone off in search of the car keys. He would've run for the car, but running would enable Jason to detect their movements and swiftly teleport to their location.

Sadly Akane overlooked that and ran to the car.

Nekomaru was among the first to arrive, but Akane running had alerted Sonia, whom quickly arrived on the scene. Their screens flicked briefly as a warning to the players that Jason was teleporting. In seconds Jason appeared after using its shift ability to quickly travel across the map ambushing Nekomaru by grabbing him by the neck and lifting Nekomaru's character off the ground.

"You will not take down Nekomaru Nidai so easily," the defiant Team Manager snapped before his character stabbed Jason in the neck with a Swiss Army Knife forcing the tall killing machine to drop him.

Nekomaru ran for the car, but Akane rushed to attack a stunned Jason with a flying pan her character had found.

"What are you doing Akane?"

"I am taking him out!"

"You can't kill Jason!"

Akane didn't listen and kept whaling on the stunned Jason before he retaliated by taking advantage of an opening and grabbing Akane by the neck. She fought back, but as Nekomaru rushed to her aid, Ryota arrived. The students raised their weapons before moving to attack Jason and save Akane, but in their hurry to attack and interrupt Jason's strangulation of Akane's character the brown-haired woman managed to break free but was accidentally cut down by friendly fire by Nekomaru.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Akane roared as she saw the game over screen.

"I am sorry Akane, but my character can't help you," Mikan said meekly as her character arrived on the scene.

Despite Nekomaru accidentally killing Akane with his weapon, a piece of plywood, Ryota was able to down Jason using the lead pipe he was armed with.

"Alright everyone to the car!"

"Hey Ibuki is here, Ibuki calls shotgun."

"But will it fit all of us?" Mikan asked, but as four ran to the car, the vehicle in question turned on its headlights before speeding towards them. Before anyone could react, the four of them were run down by Hiyoko with a shocked Mahiru riding shotgun.

Hiyoko was laughing evilly over the angry responses her actions had earned her.

"Hiyoko turned Ibuki into a pancake!"

"How could you run down your own classmates!?" Nekomaru roared in anger.

"You could've stopped for us." Ryota pointed out while Mikan was in tears over Hiyoko running her over.

"Well, Mr. Ham Hands you should've put gas in the car with four seats and not two," Hiyoko replied while clearly feeling no remorse for running over her classmates.

"You really shouldn't have run them over Hiyoko," Mahiru said lightly scolding the girl, but she added. "But you four should've gotten out of the way."

Mahiru didn't mention it, but she knew, unless it was her, Hiyoko was unlikely to stop for anyone and would just run them down anyway. However, karma had a way of coming back to haunt her as Hiyoko made a very sharp turn before accidentally crashing into a wooden post on the side of the road. Hiyoko started to panic as she hurried to restart the engine, but Sonia had been already in hot pursuit as Jason. The hockey-masked killer grabbed Hiyoko by the neck before dragging her character out of the car through the window.

Thankfully Hiyoko had a Swiss Army Knife, so she had no problem breaking free, much to the disappointment of some. Mahiru and Hiyoko hurried off into the wood to escape Jason before he could recover. Meanwhile, Peko and Fuyuhiko had arrived at the boat with Nagito coming to join them.

Peko filled the boat's gas tank while Nagito and Fuyuhiko guarded her.

"The boat's tank is full we should depart at once!"

"Incoming!" Nagito announced as Jason grabbed Peko, but Fuyuhiko shot Jason at point-blank range freeing Peko and stunning Jason.

"EVERYONE IN THE FUCKING BOAT!" The gangster snapped as everyone boarded the boat with Chiaki at the helm.

The boat was already heading for the exit by the time Jason recovered, although Sonia pursued them the vessel and its passengers escaped.

Mahiru, Hiyoko, and Kazuichi were among those left. Mahiru and Hiyoko made an attempt to restart the car and escape, but before Hiyoko could get into the driver seat, her character stepped on a hidden bear trap Sonia had left before attempting to go after Chiaki's group.

"That stupid bitch!" Hiyoko snapped angrily, but the noise her character made alerted Sonia. By the time she freed her character and got into the car Jason was already on the scene pulling Hiyoko out of the car again before she could restart the engine. "Mahiru save me!"

"I am coming!" The girl said as Mahiru's character got out of the car's passenger side. She couldn't switch seats. Otherwise, she might have attempted to restart the vehicle.

It was too late as Hiyoko couldn't escape as the execution cutscene began to play out. Jason dropped Hiyoko's character on the ground before delivering a powerful punch that sent the head of Hiyoko's character flying off her shoulders. Mahiru avenged Hiyoko by hitting Jason with a baseball bat, but once he was down Mahiru attempted to restart the car to escape. She might not have gotten away as Jason recovered much faster than expected, but a shotgun shot knocked Jason down.

Gundham's laughter was unmistakable, "I Gundham Tanaka have returned from the depths of hell reborn as the slayer of Jason!"

After the death of his fellow classmates, Gundham was chosen to play again as the character Tommy Jarvis armed with a shotgun. He had arrived on the scene and promptly shot Jason before he could pull Mahiru out of the car. The redhead drove up to Gundham.

"Get in or get left behind!"

"Let us depart this arena!" Gundham said as his character got into the car.

Mahiru wasted no time driving away and escaping.

Now only Kazuichi was left.

"What the hell are you doing hiding in the outhouse you idiot?" Fuyuhiko snapped as he and the rest of the class, those who died or escape were watching the last member of their group left on the map.

"Hiding until the end of the match has never worked for anyone," Chiaki said sagely.

"But she won't find me."

"Jason's sense ability, which she has likely unlocked by this point, will illuminate any structure you are hiding in bright red." The Ultimate Gamer said in a matter of fact tone.

"Huh," Kazuichi said before Jason tore open the outhouse to drag the last camp consular out by the neck. Kazuichi couldn't escape, and Sonia executed him by throwing him to the ground right before Jason used his ax to chop his character's testicles into two before Kazuichi was finished off with a strike to the neck slicing his head off.

"WHY DID MISS SONIA NEUTERED ME!" Kazuichi cried out while Hiyoko began laughing.

"I think she wants to make you into her own personal eunuch, but you are so pathetic, I doubt you would be terrific."

The booth opened, and Sonia emerged, upon which she removed the mask.

"I want to applaud Chiaki, Fuyuhiko, Peko, and Nagito for displaying excellent unity in the game because unity is an important factor in determining if you'll survive a horror movie." The Princess said, but before she could give a lecture on the do's and Don'ts of surviving a horror movie the door opened followed by their teacher walking in.

She was about twenty years of age with a very cheerful and friendly disposition possessing large green eyes, waist-length orange hair, wearing a light blue suit complete with a skirt, black stockings, matching shoes and a white dress shirt. Befitting her previous school title when she attended Hope's Peak Academy she wore a white apron as she once attended as the Ultimate Housekeeper.

"I hope you guys had fun, but don't worry; I only got a quick announcement!" Chisa Yukizome began as she assumed her place behind the podium at the head of the class. "As a reminder, there are no changes to classes despite the recent death of the Viceroy, but when the entrance ceremony begins, it is your choice to attend or not. That being said the administration is asking all students to exercise caution for the next few weeks due to an escalation in violence around Area 11."

The students of the 77th Class didn't seem all that concern, but part of that would be because it was nothing new to them. The death of the Viceroy was the only real change, but that was not counting those who died during the Killing Game not too long ago.

Compared to her other classmates Chiaki felt uneasy and worried, which was more directed at the still missing Hajime Hinata.

* * *

The sun was beginning to set when she had arrived at Toyko Tower; the one tall structure that stood in the heart of Toyko was a broken ruin that had been converted into a museum. It was a strange place for a meeting, but maybe it was the last place anyone would expect such a meeting to take place. Contrary to the request that she come along Kallen had asked Ohgi and two of his friends to stay nearby in the event the meeting was a trap or should the rendezvous went badly. Lelouch was wearing casual clothing consisting of his preferred black shirt, brown jacket, and black pants. He carried a large bag slung over his left arm that had the complete outfit he had received earlier that same morning.

Lelouch wasn't alone though, and like Kallen, he did plan for the possibility the meeting could turn sour.

"She has brought three of her friends it seems," Mukuro reported, who for this occasion was dressed in casual wear consisting of a black coat, a gray turtleneck shirt, a black skirt with brown leggings and black boots with matching gloves on her hands.

"I am not surprised, but we planned for it regardless," Lelouch commented as he checked the time on his phone. "Let's get on the train ahead of them so we can prepare the meeting."

As Lelouch and Mukuro discreetly left Toyko Tower, while at the same time they took great care to avoid being seen by Kallen, Ohgi and the latter's two companions.

The plan was simple Lelouch would meet Kallen and her friends aboard the outbound train on loop line five, which by then Lelouch will have put its passengers under his Geass to set up the meeting. Mukuro would be hidden among the passengers on standby, so if the meeting takes an unfortunate turn, she will intervene.

"Are you ready?"

"I am," Mukuro replied, opening her coat to reveal a concealed pistol with a silencer and Lelouch didn't need to see that Mukuro probably had a hidden combat knife or two on her person.

"I don't expect the meeting to go badly, but no reason not to play it safe, especially if anything unforeseen were to take place. I am counting on you Mukuro."

Mukuro couldn't help, but allow her cheeks to turn pink briefly as she was apparently flattered by the compliment, which was more than what Junko had usually given her. "Understood."

* * *

Around the same time, Junko was busy with her own last-minute preparations as she sat at the controls for Monokuma within her secret Monokuma Control Room. Tsumugi had brought her a report on the status of their preparations for tomorrow night when Suzaku Kururugi would be transferred to his court-martial. Everything was going according to plan, and everything she wanted to be in place was ready along with some information she had gathered beforehand in preparation for public release.

Not only would she destroy the Purist Faction with Lelouch's help, but she would drive Area 11 into anarchy, although it wasn't as despair-inducing as she would prefer it would still make for an excellent foundation to build upon.

"Are they in place?"

Tsumugi nodded, "yes, they are. They only await the activation signal from Monokuma."

"Sweet," Junko exclaimed happily with a big toothy grin, "and the various divisions of Ultimate Despair, are ready to unleash a tidal wave of despair at the same time?"

"Yes, they are."

"Upupupu," Junko laughed, imitating Monokuma, "oh, I am looking forward to tomorrow night along with Lelouch's performance."

* * *

Almost an hour later, after picking up the cell phone the mysterious Zero, whose caller ID appeared on the cell phone she picked up from the lost and found on the observation deck, Kallen with Ohgi and two of his friends were aboard the outbound train on loop line five just as Zero instructed. The trail has been traveling on its route, but so far Kallen hadn't received a call from Zero yet. Ohgi and his friends were a safe distance away but within earshot. Of course, the young woman was surprised that Lelouch had known Ohgi, and his companions were following her, but then again, she probably should've realized it since it would make sense if you are called to meet a mysterious person going alone would not be a wise idea.

After what seemed like an eternity the cell phone she had received began ringing.

Kallen quickly answered it, "what now?"

"Face forward, and look to your right. What do you see?"

"The Britannian City, it was stolen away from us and built on our sacrifices," Kallen answered.

"And on the left?"

"I see our city; remnants of a desiccated city after the Britannians sucked it dry."

Zero sounded satisfied with her response, "good answer. Now move to the front of the train."

Kallen began heading for the front, followed by Ohgi and his two companions. The passengers on the train seemed unresponsive, which was caused by Lelouch placing them all under his Geass to generally ignore anything strange and unusual. Even though the third and second cars before the front were crowded Kallen and her friends made their way through, but they failed to notice a disguised Mukuro sitting on the bench by the door leading to the front car of the train pretending to read a newspaper. She wore a black scarf around her neck with black sunglasses to conceal her face. She also had an earpiece transmitter in her right ear so she could hear everything spoken by Zero, so if the situation went south, she could intervene.

The young redhead was shocked when she reached the last car at the front of the train just behind the engine because the entire train car was empty save for a lone figure standing with his back turned to them at the far end. What was even more unusual was the fact that the man at the opposite end of the car wore a black cape with gold trim and a black mask and a purple outfit from what they could see.

"Was it you on the phone?" Kallen inquired, but she got no response.

"I thought it was a trap," a young man with blue hair, wearing a red headband asked quietly to Ohgi.

Kallen was growing impatient from the masked man's lack of a response. "Well was that you in Shinjuku? Was that cease-fire you're doing too?"

"HEY," Kento Sugiyama shouted, "We're talking to you!"

Lelouch, as Zero, suddenly spun around to face them.

Now that he was facing them, Kallen, Ohgi and the others got a better look at Zero. His mask had no visible eyeholes or anything that could indicate who he or she was, but a gold emblem could be seen along the bottom was a variation of the Geass sigil that appears in Lelouch's eye when his power is active. Lelouch wore purple and gold trimmed boots that seemed to be part of the outfit Lelouch was wearing under the black cloak wrapped around his body. Furthermore, his costume was likely based on Victorian fashion judging by the design of the collar and the white cravat he wore.

"What do you think of my tour of the settlement?"

"Your tour," one confused Toru Yoshida said.

"Oh come on, it couldn't be this guy?" Sugiyama said mockingly.

"I wanted you to fully grasp the two," Lelouch began as he extended each arm outward pointing at the two sides of the train to illustrate the point he was trying to make. "The settlement and the ghetto."

With his cloak unwrapped from his body because of his dramatic gesture Kallen and the others saw that under the cape was indeed a full one-piece bodysuit with a collar to accommodate the cravat and at the end of the sleeves, Zero wore a pair of black gloves.

"Yeah, we know," Ohgi began as he stepped forward, "There's a difference between them and us. A very harsh one and that is why we resist them."

"You're wrong," Zero said bluntly as his voice was being projected by an electronic device in his mask that disguises his voice and to add more weight to it. "Britannia will not fall to terrorism."

"Fall…" Ohgi said visibly stunned.

Lelouch's next words were even harsher, "It is little better than childish nuisance!"

Sugiyama was apparently offended by that remark. "WHAT WAS THAT?! Are you calling us a bunch of kids?"

"You should know your enemy. It's not people, but Britannia itself!" Lelouch declared. "It is a war you must wage, but not on the innocent. Take up your sword, fight for justice!"

"Oh please," Kallen snapped, "that is easy enough to say isn't it? Hiding behind that mask, why should we trust you?"

"She's right…lose the mask!" Sugiyama snapped.

"Right," Ohgi said in agreement, "so are you going to show us your face?"

"Very well, but instead of showing my face bear witness to my power. If I deliver to you the impossible then maybe I'll have earned your trust."

"The impossible?"

"I shall rescue Suzaku Kururugi and prove his innocence in the murder of Prince Clovis." Lelouch declared without hesitation, although they were shocked Ohgi noticed the last part of that statement.

"Prove his innocence, so does that mean you killed Prince Clovis?"

"You are correct. I killed Clovis to punish him for all of the innocent lives Clovis took where he killed them to cover up a secret human experimentation project by hiding her in a capsule fooling almost everyone that it was poison gas."

Ohgi and Kallen were utterly shocked.

"I had happened upon the truck being driven by your associate, Nagata I believe his name was. He was mortally wounded while escaping the Britannian authorities." Lelouch explained before adding. "I am sorry there was nothing I could do for him, but when he told me about the poison gas capsule I examined it and it opened up revealing a captive wearing a prisoner uniform."

"What," Kallen said, trying to grapple with this revelation, "a woman was trapped inside?"

"Yes, and the entire Shinjuku Ghetto was meant to be destroyed to wipe out any potential witnesses to cover it up intending to blame their deaths on you for setting off the so-called poison gas. He feared word about the experiments getting out because he believed he would be disinherited if such a project became public knowledge. I am conducting an investigation to learn more alongside an ally right now, so once I know more details I'll let you know."

"What about the captive?" Ohgi asked.

"The captive was killed during our escape from the Royal Guard. I found a communicator left by the capsule, which was how I was able to contact you."

"I see," Ohgi said, although he suspected Nagata was dead as they never found his truck, Zero's story confirmed his demise. "Nagata probably set off the self-destruct in the truck to take out the royal guards."

Ohgi had suspected Nagata had denoted the explosives in the truck because there was a significant explosion that erupted from the tunnels he had noticed. Unfortunately, the battle that raged throughout the Shinjuku Ghetto caused some of the subway tunnels to collapse, which had hampered their efforts to confirm Nagata's fate.

"So how do you plan to save Suzaku Kururugi?"

Lelouch was grinning beneath his mask as he answered, "Because only a select few only knew what was really inside of that capsule."

* * *

The following night as Suzaku Kururugi's televised transfer to the courthouse had begun the roads leading from the Viceroy's Palace was lined with hundreds of Britannian citizens. As part of the grand publicity stunt, although that was obvious to many yet most Britannians ignored it as there was a number who preferred seeing a non-Britannian punished. On the other hand, the people saw it as a way to restore faith in the government given their inability to stop groups like Ultimate Despair, which despite the government's best efforts, remained at large.

The fact that the terrible group was quiet left many uneasy.

This was especially true for a graduate of Hope's Peak Academy who once attended as the Ultimate Student Council President. He was sitting in front of a television that was mounted on the way by his desk. He was a tall man of twenty years. His pasty white complexion, silver hair and blue eyes made him stand out which was furthered by his colorless appearance. He wore a black suit with a sand-colored tie while holding a cup of coffee in his free hand.

Kyosuke Munakata, although he wasn't in Area 11, was watching a broadcast of Suzaku's transport and trial intent on monitoring the situation in Area 11.

"Have you made any new progress Yukizome?"

Kyosuke was holding a cell phone with his free hand while speaking to Chisa who was at home watching the same broadcast as Kyosuke was. Chisa was sitting on a pink sofa with a soft drink in one hand and the phone in another.

"Nothing new, but ever since Clovis was killed, it seemed security had been doubled seemingly overnight."

"That doesn't surprise me, especially since they have no clues to reveal who killed him. I would probably refrain from investigating the committees' actions until things cool down."

Chisa noticed the fact that Kyosuke didn't mention Suzaku.

"You don't think that kid did it?"

"I don't think, I know," the former Ultimate Student Council President answered with unshakable confidence in his voice. "You remember Lloyd Asplund?"

"You mean the Earl of Pudding?" Chisa said recognizing the name. "He set up shop in the academy building with that new Knightmare Frame."

"Lord Asplund and I were talking the other day wishing to have Suzaku Kururugi admitted to Hope's Peak Academy." Kyosuke began to explain. "He believed I could put in a good word for him since Kururugi has proven to be a capable pilot, and the footage I saw places him far away from the G-1 Clovis was last seen alive in just before his murder."

"Then Suzaku is innocent, but why is he?"

"That is because he is being used as a scapegoat because they cannot find the real killer. Even though there is clear evidence that Kururugi isn't Clovis's killer."

"So they just ignored it?" Chisa said as her voice was mixed with shock and horror, knowing that an innocent young man was about to get executed.

"Yes and that will be a fatal mistake for them."

Little did Chisa realize Kyosuke was about to be proven right.

* * *

 _I hope they can't tell it's fake._

Kallen thought as she drove the car that was designed to look like the exterior of Prince Clovis's personal transport, which was a white limo built with an enlarged back including a platform for the prince to stand on if the cover was removed. The driver's seat wasn't part of the limo's interior as Kallen was behind the wheel disguised as a driver wearing a gray suit, with a matching Gatsby hat and black sunglasses to help mask her face. As far as anyone seeing the car was concerned, it looked like Clovis's personal transport, but in reality, it was hastily put together lookalike using whatever Kallen and Ohgi could scavenge in the time they had.

Only Kallen and Ohgi were convinced enough of the possibility that Zero could save Suzaku that they agreed to help him, despite knowing the odds of failure was extremely high. Mukuro was sitting on the rooftop of a building providing bird's eye observation, and if needed she was prepared with a sniper rifle to provide assistance. Mukuro had been willing to help in Kallen's place, but Lelouch feared if she demonstrated any of her combat skills, it might give her away. Not to mention she could be more helpful providing support from a distance since her options would be limited if she was the driver of the vehicle instead of Kallen.

* * *

Inside the Monokuma Control Room, Junko was watching the broadcast as well. She instructed Mukuro to tell her nothing of Lelouch's plans nor tell her about her new outfit wishing to see all of them during his big public debut.

Suddenly Jeremiah, who was personally leading the convoy and armed escort of Suzaku Kururugi, ordered the convoy to stop. Jeremiah was seen standing atop his Sutherland from an open cockpit so the public could get a good look at him to help further the colorful stage performance he and the Purist Faction engineered to curry favor with the people.

A newscaster suddenly seemed confused before pointing out. "This is not a scheduled stop. Could there have been some sort of accident?"

Junko began smiling maliciously, "Showtime!"

Suddenly the camera changed to a shot of Clovis's personal transport driving straight for the convoy.

"It's, it's Prince Clovis' personal transport!" The announcer said who was just as shocked as anyone else would be. "And it's heading straight for the cavalcade!"

"Ballsy move Lelouch, but its time to see if you are brave or stupid," Junko commented as she was eager to see what he had in mind.

* * *

Junko and everyone else watching the broadcast observed the limo coming to a stop a short distance away from Jeremiah's Sutherland that stood at the head of the convoy. Four of his fellow Purist Faction members, including Villetta, were surrounding the transport vehicle with Suzaku on top of it flanked by two soldiers with their rifles aimed at him.

"You dare desecrate His Highness's transport? Come out of there." Jeremiah snapped, but suddenly the Britannian flag along with a portion of the top of the transport burned away, revealing Lelouch dressed as Zero with his cloak draped around him.

Junko eyed Lelouch's costume as the cameramen on the scene provided an excellent close-up shot of him.

"I am Zero!" Lelouch declared.

The announcer delivered his next lines, but it was clear he was no longer working with a script. "Who is this person? This man calling himself Zero, standing before a full military convoy!"

Watching these events unfold was Diethard Reid as he was in a news van coordinating the efforts of his network to provide coverage while at the same time helping to further the agenda of the Purist Faction by directing news coverage and suggesting to the roads leading to the courthouse lined with patriotic Britannians.

"Zero, as in nothing?" Diethard noted.

"Alright, Zero this show of yours has gone on long enough." Jeremiah declared before firing a bullet into the air from his sidearm prompting four Sutherlands, deployed by aerial Knightmare Frame transport, quickly surrounded Zero.

Zero was calm, and he didn't move a muscle, save for the landing of the Sutherlands created enough of a gust to blow his cape open.

"First, why don't you take off that mask?"

Zero reached for his mask, but at the last moment he reached up into the air snapping his fingers.

The rest of the limousine's rear broke apart revealing a recreation of the capsule the green haired woman was sealed in. Fortunately for Lelouch, Jeremiah and his men believed it was the poison gas capsule unaware of what its actual contents were.

It was just as Lelouch was hoping.

"WHAT THE!?" Jeremiah muttered as he broke out into a cold sweat.

"Lord Jeremiah, be careful, he has the..." Villetta said emerging from her cockpit to warn her superior, but stop short to avoid causing a panic.

"That bastard," Jeremiah said while barely holding back his anger and fear at the same time.

 _He has taken every Britannian here hostage, and he has done it without them knowing it._

Jeremiah raised his gun at Zero who merely stood there before calmly rebuking him with his arms crossed over his chest.

"You intend to shoot? You know full well what will happen if you hit what is behind me," Zero warned.

* * *

Meanwhile, Diethard, as he was observing the whole exchange, noticed that the audio between Jeremiah and Zero wasn't coming in well.

"Unit six bring up the sound and get that camera right in his face!" Diethard ordered but received a meek reply.

"Sir, it's too hairy out here."

Diethard sneered in frustration before grabbing a nearby spare camera.

"Damn, amateurs!"

* * *

Outside the air between Zero and Jeremiah was thick, but for now, the Margrave was forced to stand down.

"Fine, what are your demands?"

"An exchange," Lelouch replied, "The capsule for Kururugi."

"Like hell!" Jeremiah snapped back. "He's charged with high treason for murdering a prince. I can't hand him over."

"No. You're mistaken, Jeremiah." Zero declared as Diethard approached, but was mindful to keep a safe distance. He knelt down so he could capture a close and stable shot of Zero. "He's no murderer. The man who killed Clovis..."

Zero turned to look directly at Diethard.

"Was MYSELF!"

Everyone watching was left speechless, but Lelouch forged ahead.

"For a single Eleven, you'll save scores of precious Britannians. I find that to be a bargain." Lelouch said with a dramatic sweeping motion of his right arm.

 _This is all one big performance to him._ Diethard thought with a smile on his face becoming very intrigued by these developments.

Jeremiah was on the verge of losing his temper because he knew that Zero having revealed himself as Clovis's killer has doomed the Purist Faction.

"He is mad, I tell you. Disguising this truck as His Highness'! He'll pay the price for mocking the crown!" Jeremiah roared as the Knightmare Frames surrounding Zero readied to fire their weapons.

"Careful. You don't wish the public to learn about Orange, do you?"

Everyone was suddenly confused, but more so was Jeremiah.

Lelouch tapped his foot on the floor as a signal to Kallen to move the limo forward.

"If I die, it'll all go public. If you don't want that to happen..." Lelouch said as a hidden panel on his mask slid open revealing his Geass empowered eye. "You'll do everything in your power to let us go, your prisoner as well."

In seconds, Jeremiah was ensnared by Lelouch's Geass.

"Understood," Jeremiah turned to the two soldiers guarding Suzaku, "you there release the prisoner."

"Should we," One of the nameless grunts asked his partner as they were hesitant to release Suzaku.

"I don't know?" The other grunt replied.

"Hand him over!" Jeremiah demanded.

"What are you doing my Lord? You can't do this?"

* * *

Watching events unfold Junko was in a state of ecstasy as her cheeks had a shade of pink to them and she was virtually drooling.

"It might not look like much, but after tonight Jeremiah Gottwald's life will be completely ruined."

Her smile grew only in size when she heard the announcer on the television, "It's hard to tell what's happening, but it seems that Kururugi's release has been brokered!"

* * *

Despite cries of outrage from the crowds, Suzaku was released from his bounds, but the collar secured around his neck to silence him whenever he spoke remained.

Suzaku eyed Zero as the two approached one another, but once they were standing close enough to one another, he tried to ask. "So, who the hell are you?"

The young man grunted in pain the collar activated, causing him to cry painfully from the shock.

"As I thought, they didn't allow you to speak."

"It's time to go, Zero," Kallen said approaching Zero's left.

Zero brought out a remote he had been carrying. "Well then, till next time."

Lelouch triggered the device on the back of limo releasing a blanketing cloud of purple smoke. The crowd began panicking creating a chaotic scene that engulfed the bridge.

"You cowardly Eleven," Villetta shouted through the intercom of her Knightmare Frame as she prepared to attack them to stop them from escaping. However, Jeremiah quickly intervened in his own Knightmare Frame stopping Villetta from attacking by knocking her Sutherland to the side. "Lord Jeremiah, what are you!"

Her enthralled superior interrupted her, "You heard me! Stand down now!"

* * *

During the confusion, Lelouch, Kallen, and Suzaku leaped off the bridge to where they landed on an elastic mat that was launched by Ohgi. The man had been hiding among a trio of stopped train cars inside an MR-1, a Knightmare Frame designed for heavy labor rather than combat that can fold up into a more compact form for storage or transport. The mat was attached to the two slash harkens the MR-1 had which safely lowered the trio into a train car that had its rooftop hatch opened beforehand.

All that was left was to escape, but at that moment a very familiar sadistic laugh echoed throughout the area, but it also echoed throughout every television and handheld device watching the broadcast.

The signal was hijacked, and in moments the screen shifted to reveal Monokuma, but this time he was dressed as a judge wearing a black gown-like cloak and a wig that gave the bear white renaissance curls. Judging from the background around him Monokuma was inside what appeared to be a courtroom, but it wasn't any courtroom, it was the courtroom that Suzaku's trail was meant to take place in at the Toyko Settlement Courthouse. Monokuma was laughing before picking up his signature hammer and pointed it at the viewer.

"Oh my, so that's what happened." Monokuma began as his left eye flashed red, "I was kinda confused because I couldn't see how Suzaku was the killer because he was piloting a Knightmare Frame and was far away from the G-1 Clovis was on when he was killed."

The screen changed to show a video of Suzaku wearing the pilot suit he wore when he piloted the Lancelot, and then a video clip followed showing the young man climbing into the Lancelot before it launched speeding off into the city.

"I mean the evidence was pretty clear that he was nowhere near the G-1 when Clovis got assassinated because I guess this means the government was as lost as I was trying to figure out who killed him." Monokuma explained with the screen switching back to him. "So they saw an easy way to build back up their reputation and end the practice of allowing natives from conquered Areas to gain Honorary Status. Of course, this allowed the real killer get away with it, so they were willing to forget all about finding the real killer for the sake of their own agenda how sad."

Monokuma had been standing atop the judge's podium before he stood up to jump, down onto the floor before the podium. Those watching saw the bodies of security guards and soldiers, lying dead on the ground, while members of Ultimate Despair were seen guarding the doors into the room.

"Thank you for telling me it was you Zero," Monokuma said with a smile before adopting a sad expression. "But I am a sad Monokuma now. I was waiting at the courthouse for you guys so I could preside over your trial so it's a shame really."

Monokuma sighed before his mood changed, adopting a much happier smile.

"I know I'll just execute someone for you all, someone who deserves the death penalty. But first I'll need to clear the outside since I know the police and the military are coming in to interrupt me." Monokuma walked toward a magic circle drawn in red on the tiled floor of the courtroom.

Waving his hammer over the circle the bear began chanting.

"Surge, o gods who dwell between light and darkness," Monokuma said chanting a spell, "in accordance with our contract, I summon thee now! Come forth Monobeasts!"

The video switched to a camera hidden outside the courthouse where the ground surrounding the steps leading to the large structure began shaking violently. As members of the military and police were storming the building to retake it from Ultimate Despair. The stairs outside the courthouse exploded, sending stone and the authorities flying into the air, but before the dust could clear a mechanical howl was heard freezing the blood of the civilians who had gathered outside the courthouse for Suzaku's trial. Knightpolice Units repurposed Glasgows for police units, and Sutherlands were attacked by anti-tank canon that swiftly destroyed them one by one before a mechanical object flew out of the hole and into the air.

Bullets from a pair of mini-guns tore through the ranks of police and soldiers outside while causing indiscriminate damage and destruction in their wake. Then another attack came when large chunks of broken stone were tossed at the advancing crowd of police and military soldiers.

At last, the dust cleared and as it did the mechanical object that flew out of the gigantic hole that nearly destroyed the entrance to the courthouse hovered behind four mechanical robots. They were the size of a Knightmare Frame, but except one, all of them were designed based on an animal.

The Eagle Monobeast was designed after an eagle with metallic dark gray wings that moved and flap similar to those of a real bird, but some unknown feature was allowing the mechanical bird to hover in place. It possessed blazing red eyes and a predatory appearance with mini-guns in place for feet on its legs and it had missile launchers on its back. It was slightly smaller than the average Knightmare Frame, but it was fast and surprisingly agile despite its odd yet strangely aerodynamic design.

Next in line was the Snake Monobeast, which had obliviously a long serpentine body, composed of interconnected mechanical blocks of metal. It appeared to be the less obviously armed of the machines, but it wasn't any less dangerous as a lack weight, and its long flexible body gave it considerable speed and agility as well. It had a vice-like mouth with two large razor-sharp fangs were strong enough to puncture armor plating. Its color was a dark-gold like color, but a large blade on the tip of its tail.

The Tiger Monobeast was larger in size than a Knightmare Frame, due partly to its quadruped design. It had a pale yellow metallic color with dark brown incorporated into it, but its brighter color scheme didn't make it look any less dangerous with razor sharp claws on its feet for scaling walls and tearing into enemy machines. Its fangs could easily crush a cockpit block while the movable turret-like railgun on its back could destroy most enemy machines and vehicles with one shot.

The fourth machine, the Horse Monobeast, was similar in design to the Tiger Monobeast. The difference was that it was a darker brown in color with a long neck to make it look more like a horse. It lacked any noticeable weapons save for the curved blade on the top of its head, but it had concealed machine guns next to its front legs, and it could fire chaos-mines out of concealed grenade launchers on its back.

The final Monobeast was designed with a humanoid body, but its massive hands made it appear more like a gorilla than a human thus it was dubbed the Gorilla Monobeast. Its arms, legs, and back were heavily armored, but it had a vulnerable spot that was revealed when standing up on its two legs around the lower torso. It walked around on all fours, but it could stand up on its two rear legs during combat as its large hands were designed for grabbing, tossing and crushing foes with their enormous strength. The mechanical hands were heavily armored plated for both protection and increased destructive potential. Its body was a dull steel color, and it had one red glowing eye on its head.

The five machines stood together menacingly before the Tiger Monobeast let out a bone-chilling mechanical howl followed by the Gorilla Monobeast letting out a mechanical shriek before pounding on its chest while in an upright position in a very animalistic fashion. The people who had gathered to see the trial proceed from the outside began to flee, shoving and knocking one another down while at the same time trampling over anyone unfortunate enough to have fallen to the ground. The remaining Sutherlands and police units in the area converged on the five machines intending to destroy them, but the bullets from the guns carried by the soldiers and police officers harmlessly bounced off their metallic bodies.

The Horse Monobeast attacked, but by launching its curved blade from the top of its head as it began flying on its own power using the same device built into it that kept the Eagle Monobeast afloat. Soaring through the air like a boomerang it tore into the ranks of soldiers and police officers trying in vain to destroy the machines, but sadly civilians nearby were caught in the attack and viciously decapitated as well.

It was a bloodbath, and it was about to get worse.

Within minutes word was received that there were members of Ultimate Despair launching different attacks in major cities around Japan with their targets being Osaka, Kyushu, Kyoto, Kobe, Sapporo, and Sendai. The attacks include frighteningly well-coordinated bombings upon government buildings, police precincts, and military installations. The military facilities were hit the hardest with semi trucks hauling trailers filled with enough liquid Sakuradite to inflict grievous damage to them by parking them in old subway tunnels that ran below the base. The leaders of Area 11 military and police were overwhelmed by the suddenness of these attacks, but the worst part was the horrifying level of planning and precision needed for a plan of such scale.

It was the most terrifying act of terrorism in Area 11 history, which was now coupled with the utter failure of its government to apprehend the assassin of Area 11's Viceroy.

The fact they were proven to be powerless against Ultimate Despair only made it much worse.

Junko was beside herself, her pleasure was oblivious, and with her maniacal laughter echoing throughout the control room which was reflected though Monokuma.

 _Thank_ _you_ _, Lelouch, for helping me make this possible. You brought the chaos,_ _and_ _I shall reap and savor their despair!_

Monokuma walked out of the courthouse and onto the devastated street, although the bear and his men used a side entrance because the main entrance was destroyed. The two-tone bear was laughing, but Monokuma wasn't done yet as a white van approached. After it came to a stop, two members of Ultimate Despair emerged from the back double doors with a tied up _former_ General Bartley. The once high ranking general had been stripped of his uniform and was wearing a prisoner uniform. Following Clovis's demise, Bartley was arrested by Jeremiah having used the incident, because he and the other staff officers left Clovis alone, to seize control of Area 11 from him.

Bartley panicked when he saw Monokuma prompting him to struggle desperately, but it was in vain.

"Since Suzaku isn't going to be executed tonight, so let's execute the most incompetent officer in Area 11!"

"NO," Bartley cried out as the blood drained from his face, "Please don't do this!"

"Too bad, so sad. You screwed up in more ways than one, and I am not talking about the fact you and your buddies left Clovis alone to be killed." Monokuma pointed out as the Eagle Monobeast hovered closer. "You couldn't catch me, heck you barely caught ANY of the major resistance groups and don't get me started on the shady stuff you and Clovis were doing."

Bartley was horrified, but not because of his impending fate because of the fact Monokuma seemed aware of Code-R.

"Anyway, let's get started...IT'S PUNISHMENT TIME!"

That was when Bartley noticed his feet had been covered in quick-drying cement while a metal pole was stuck into the ground by two members of Ultimate Despair so they could secure Bartley to it ensuring he would be standing during his execution.

Bartley struggled against his bonds while screaming and sobbing for help. Monokuma leaped up onto the Eagle Monobeast, standing on its back while holding its head with one hand before pointing his gravel at Bartley.

From within a pair of concealed compartments on its wings a couple of large Gatling Guns, one equipped on each, began to assemble themselves on movable arms as the robot took aim at its terrified target.

With a wave of his hammer, the Monobeast opened fire, virtually shredding Bartley into small slivers of meat within seconds until nothing was left save for bits of him and blood stains on the ground. The shots from the Monobeast's twin Gatling Guns were so powerful anything behind Bartley was moved down along with a street-side store having then torn apart by the storm of high-velocity bullets.

Bartley's bloody demise was televised for everyone to see.

"This feeling of hopelessness," Monokuma said with both hands on his stomach with a pleased expression. "Yes, this is that wonderful feeling of total despair Bartley felt before I made hamburger out of him."

Monokuma began sniffing the air.

"I could go for a hamburger with a big helping of despair; oh the air is thick with it."

The two-tone bear turned to the camera.

"Area 11 belongs to Ultimate Despair and me, so my followers spread and experience despair to your heart's content."

The broadcast ended with Monokuma's exuberant laughter as his Monobeasts rampaged, aided by his followers, though the Tokyo Settlement.

* * *

Thankfully the ghettos were left alone, but Ashford Academy was left untouched as well as Junko directed her followers to ravage the wealthy districts of the Settlement. The rampaging of the Monobeasts allowed Lelouch, Kallen, Suzaku and Ohgi retreat to Shinjuku Ghetto without, thankfully, much difficulty. The group arrived at an abandoned movie theater where Ohgi and Kallen convened with the rest of the members of their resistance cell. Lelouch and Suzaku were meeting privately inside one of the crumbling theaters, but unknown to Suzaku the Ultimate Solider was hiding in the shadow of the rafters above Lelouch. Mukuro would intervene if Suzaku tried to attack him.

After Suzaku removed the collar from his neck, Lelouch spoke as he stood near Suzaku.

"It looks like they treated you rather roughly. Now you know what Britannia is really like, Private Kururugi. Britannia is rotten. If you wish to bring change to this world, then join me." Lelouch said extending his right hand towards him.

Suzaku glared daggers at Zero. "So, is it true? Are you really the one who killed Prince Clovis?"

Lelouch was annoyed with the sudden question, but he didn't show it. "This is war. Why wouldn't I kill an enemy commander?"

"And the gas? Those were civilians out there."

"A bluff to help things along. The result, not a single death."

At least until Monokuma became involved.

Suzaku seemed troubled by the words Zero spoke. "The result? That's all that matters to you, I suppose."

"Come join me," Zero said making his offer to the young man again. "The Britannia you serve is a worthless dominion."

"Maybe that's true, but," Suzaku hesitated at first but then spoke. "But this nation, it can be changed for the better, and from within."

Lelouch was surprised by this as he wasn't expecting it.

"And any ends gained through contemptible means aren't worth anything," Suzaku said before proceeding to leave intending to exit through the large hole in the back of the theater where a movie screen once stood.

"Wait," Lelouch demanded quickly, "Where are you going?"

"My court-martial begins in an hour," Suzaku said, but neither he nor Lelouch was presently aware of what had happened at the courthouse. None of them had a television on hand during their escape.

Lelouch was livid, "Damn, are you mad? The only reason they're giving you a trial is to find you guilty. The judge, the prosecution, and defense."

The young man was unconcerned. "Rules are rules. And if I don't go, they'll start cracking down on Elevens and honorary Britannians."

"But you'll die."

"I don't mind."

"Don't be an idiot."

Suzaku smiled as those words brought Lelouch to mind. "An old friend of mine always used to tell me that. He'd say I was a fool. It's my weakness, I guess."

The young man turned around to face Zero.

"I'd try to bring you in, but you'd just end up killing me. And If I'm going to die, it'll be in the service of the people." Suzaku turned around to leave. "Even so, I thank you...for saving me."

Lelouch was stunned into silence, but it was clear nothing he could say would sway Suzaku.

Mukuro emerged from her hiding place and slowly approached the masked young man.

"Should I stop him?"

Lelouch considered it for a moment until, "No, let the fool go."

* * *

Lelouch returned home, although he was forced to take an alternate route to reach the academy due to the chaos engulfing the Toyko Settlement. Thankfully Mukuro accompanied him the way home after the two found a safe place for Lelouch to change out of his Zero attire and back into regular civilian clothes before returning to Ashford Academy.

On their way back though Lelouch and Mukuro listened to a news report about what had happened after he had rescued Suzaku thanks to a pocket radio, Mukuro had brought with her.

It was then Lelouch discovered that Suzaku of all people had been the pilot of the white Knightmare Frame that had cost him the tactical victory in Shinjuku Ghetto. The irony that he had rescued the one person who had ruined his plans in Shinjuku Ghetto wasn't lost on him, but now that Suzaku had gone back to the Britannians the possibility of facing that White Knightmare frame was high.

As they entered the Student Council clubhouse news about Suzaku was current status was released.

"Yes, apparently. Private Kururugi has made contact with the authorities. It would seem the Zero has released him. However now that the original charges against him have been thrown into question, it is certain that Kururugi will be found innocent and acquitted."

Mukuro turned off the radio.

"I guess Suzaku will be alright, but the next time you two meet on the battlefield?"

"Don't finish that," Lelouch said as his voice was stout with a hint of anger to it.

Upon learning about Suzaku having been the pilot of the Lancelot his feelings were mixed. It didn't help matters recalling Suzaku's intent to change the system from within.

"Nice to see you guys make it back," Junko said appearing at the top of the stairs, "it has really gone to hell out there!"

"Fortunately most of the riots and attacks are happening in the wealthier residential areas," Mukuro noted before turning to Lelouch. "As long as they don't move in this direction we should be fine."

"What's wrong with you," Junko inquired looking at Lelouch who didn't seem to be in a good mood, "I assume it has something to do with Suzaku being the pilot of that machine that kicked our asses in Shinjuku?"

Lelouch said nothing, but Junko already knew this to be the case. She would've preferred to have kept the news that Suzaku was the pilot of the Lancelot for much longer. On the other hand, seeing Lelouch struggling with the idea he would not only have to fight a dear friend, but he would have to kill his friend for his goals to succeed."

 _Such an act will bring such despair to Lelouch, and if things don't head to a death_ _match,_ _I'll just have to push it in the right direction._

"I just want to rest," Lelouch said sternly as he was apparently in no mood to discuss it.

Junko wasn't bothered, and she would have time to talk with him tomorrow.

"Alright, but I think your sister has been staying awake. She has been waiting for you to come home."

The trio approached the door before Lelouch noted, "I'll assure her I am fine and then help her to bed."

After he opened the door, Lelouch walked in followed by Junko and Mukuro.

"Sorry I am late Nunnally, but," Lelouch began, but a greeting from the last person he expected caused him to pause.

"Welcome home Lelouch!" The green haired woman from Shinjuku Ghetto said as she was calmly sitting down next to Nunnally. The two had spent time making origami together to pass the time until Lelouch had returned home.

Mukuro didn't recognize her; however, she was confused when she turned to Lelouch and Junko. Not only did the two seem to remember her, but both of them looked at the green haired woman with eyes as wide as saucers. If this had been a cartoon, then the scene would've had the jaws of Lelouch and Junko comically drop through the floor.

Lelouch and Junko were still in shock at seeing someone who should've been dead alive allowing Nunnally to speak breaking the silence.

"I'm so glad. I was worried."

The green haired woman spoke as she finished making a paper crane. "I'm assuming you ate out tonight judging from your appearance. I guess your two friends were with you the whole time?"

"Thank goodness. I thought maybe you've gotten caught up in all the uproar caused by that man Zero, and then that terrible Monokuma began rampaging downtown." Nunnally said worryingly. "I tried calling you, but you didn't answer your cell phone. I wanted to tell you Ms. C.C.'s been waiting as well."

Lelouch muttered the name, "C.C.?"

The younger of the siblings chuckled, "Your friend goes by such an unusual name, only her initials."

"Yeah she does," the former prince commented.

"I wanted to thank you Junko for being with my brother and you too Mukuro," Nunnally thanked with a sweet smile, "because you are there too right?"

"Uh yes, we were," Mukuro answered quickly.

"No problem," Junko replied with a toothy smile, "because without us your brother would've been in all kinds of trouble."

To a casual observer, the smile Junko had would've appeared to be one of gratitude, but she was smiling for a different reason.

 _This just got very interesting, so very interesting indeed._

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater:**

Monokuma could be seen standing before a trio of pink colored doors. Each door had a different letter marking it which were; **A** , **B** , and **C** printed on each door from left to to the sadistic bear was a trembling Yasuhiro, but even though he wanted to run the terrified fortune teller couldn't.

"Thank you all for voting," Monokuma thanked as he held a black envelope in one hand. "Now it is time for Yasuhiro to live or die."

"LIVE," Yasuhiro said with tears streaming down his face, "I WANT TO LIVE!"

"Then all you got to do is pick the right door because your predictions are right thirty percent of the time." The two-tone bear said gesturing towards the three doors.

"LET ME OUT OF HERE!" Yasuhiro shouted as he attempted to open door A, but it sprouted legs and ran away. He tried to open door B, but the same thing happens, and the door grows legs before running away.

With one door left Yasuhiro was hesitant to open it when it suddenly transformed into a mouth full of razor-sharp teeth before reaching out and devouring him.

"Needless to say the fans chose to give Yasuhiro the ax, but the poll results will be up on the author's profile for all to see. But stay tuned, because we'll have a new poll where this time a Code Geass character will be up on the chopping block, but this time you'll have to choose between two of them."

Before leaving the stage, Monokuma turned to the audience for one last time.

"It will go up with the posting of the next chapter so stay tuned, however speaking of the next chapter I am going to be fighting someone next chapter," Monokuma announced before putting on a pair of boxing gloves. "Oh and how Yasuhiro actually meets his fate in that chapter will be revealed too."

* * *

A/N: The poll is now closed, and Yasuhiro's fate has been chosen, but he won't go out without a fight at least. And no he isn't the one who Monokuma is fighting, but someone else I am sure some of you might suspect.

C.C. has joined the group, and with Lelouch departing to attend Hope's Peak Academy soon he'll need to figure out what to do with her.

Meanwhile, Junko's plans are moving right along, and Lelouch is really going to have to step up his game.

The game Class 77 played was not only based on Friday the 13th video game but also some of the Let's Plays of the game done by Achievement Hunter. I might some additional the gang playing video game scenes later in the story when it feels appropriate.

I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter with Monokuma taking advantage of Zero's debut to spread chaos and despair across Japan, so now there will be a competition to see who earns the top spot for Britannia's number one most wanted.

Not to mention Cornelia is going to have a HUGE mess to clean up when she arrives, and it makes you wonder what will happen to Jeremiah.

I thank you in advance for your reviews/feedback.


	12. Chapter 12 The Demon and the Pop Star

A/N: Thank you once again for the reviews, and in this chapter, a lot more Danganronpa characters will get introduced along with one character who is hinted at in the title of the chapter. She was challenging to adapt to the story given that I wanted to ensure nothing dramatic that might change her character wouldn't befall her. However, given both that and her actions/motivations in the game, I did include something else to that, so I hope it works well as I intended.

I know under Britannian Rule the cost of such fame would've been higher, but the fact she avoided giving up much more so far gives me something else to work with and make use of. So let me know what you think and the rest I worked in smoothly, but I am contemplating if I should have Toko chase a certain someone or someone else…decisions decisions.

It's not that I am short on ideas I just have too many of them and I am trying to filter out the best ones.

Anyway, I'll keep the author notes short since this will be a long chapter, so here we go.

2/13/18: edited and cleaned up.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their_ _mind._ _"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

 **The Demon and the Pop Star**

The following day Lelouch's was upset, to say the least, although it was easy for him to hide the real reason for his sour mood because all of the students of Ashford Academy were in generally low spirits with their exact moods varying from student to student. Usually, their attitude was either that of very cautious or scared because of the devastation Monokuma's actions had left upon Area 11. The death toll from the sync bombing and attacks across the nation was still being calculated, but the damage was already exceeding ten thousand when combined the attacks in the other cities.

The devastation in the Toyko Settlement was unusually severe, which was another reason why Lelouch had observed at least half of his class was absent. Either they were victims of last night's rampage or their families had left Area 11 to return to the homeland where it was safer.

Unfortunately, they would be wrong as news was also coming in of Ultimate Despair inspired terrorist incidents in the Britannian Homeland, in Los Angeles and New York that had happened last night. It wasn't enough if they were part of Ultimate Despair or merely copying them, but the fact the group's influence was spreading to other Areas was troubling. Even more so if these other terrorist groups, now wearing the face of Monokuma, were part of Ultimate Despair.

 _I'll need to expand my own group before I even think about confronting them, which means I must obtain machines capable of competing with theirs._

Suzaku joining him would've been an enormous help to his plans, but the knowledge that he and Suzaku would be enemies on the battlefield was another source for his sour mood today. As much as he wanted to believe he could avoid it, or he could deal with Suzaku without killing him the logical part of his mind argued that eliminating Suzaku would be necessary. Further worsening his mood was the meeting between them last night was replaying in his head.

 _Change the system from within, it will just eat him up,_ _or_ _he'll be killed first._

Even if Suzaku found someone possessing the resources and influence needed for his desired change to happen, it would be virtually impossible under Britannia's current system. Not to mention those among the nobles and even the Royal Family wouldn't allow such changes to take place. If the one did decide to support Suzaku and became the next ruler of Britannia, he or she would face massive opposition or would end up assassinated before they have a chance to assume the throne.

 _The bigotry is hardwired in the most stubborn Britannians, and the royal family and various noble families are no exception. Such change, with some rather dramatic and extreme methods being used, would take years to implement and that is under the best conditions possible._

This was based on his own experience growing up within the royal family, which wasn't helped by the notion that most humans don't usually adapt well to change. Britannia was no expectation when many members of its nobility benefited from such a system including those in or with ties to its military and industrial groups.

Lelouch couldn't help, but let out a tired sigh.

That wasn't even his immediate problem because he had another one that jumped into his lap upon returning home. The girl who had granted him his Geass power had miraculously returned from the dead; however, the shock turned into irritation and obvious annoyance as the former prince remembered their conversation from last night after Lelouch staged an accident with a teacup to drag the green haired woman into his room for a private discussion.

* * *

"Who are you?" Lelouch demanded because he wasn't convinced that C.C was her real name.

"She said my name. I'm C.C."

Mukuro and Junko followed the two in before locking the door behind them.

"Why don't we get the elephant in the room out of here and ask," Junko began calmly before snapping at C.C, "HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU ALIVE!?"

C.C only smirked in response, but Junko wasn't letting it go.

"Ok, we'll observe it," Junko said before snapping her fingers, "Mukuro, snap this bitch's neck."

Before Mukuro could carry out her order, C.C quickly raised her hands defensively, "Now hold on! There is no need to act rashly!"

Junko used a wave of her hand to issue a silent command for Mukuro to stand down.

"As you have oblivious noticed if I am killed, then I'll revive after a short time. Usually within minutes, depending on what killed me." C.C explained before Lelouch inquired.

"It is related to the power you gave me," Lelouch having suspected the relation between her immortality and her ability to grant Geass. "I assume you are immune to my Geass aren't you?"

"That is right, but how did you know what it was called?"

"It is what the power is called isn't it, so why are you here?"

"I take it you are satisfied with the power?" C.C inquired while quietly staring at Lelouch.

"Very," Lelouch replied, "it allows me to speed up my schedule tremendously, which is a huge help."

"Your schedule?"

"This guy has been planning to bring down Britannia for years," Junko chimed in before pointing her thumb at the former prince. "That magic eye power you gave him allowed him to get a jump start on it."

Lelouch was grateful for his new power, but at the same time, the more prideful part of him was irritated that he didn't do anything to earn it and it was given to him. This came from his desire to be self-sufficient and capable of accomplishing tasks on his own, but Lelouch pushed those thoughts to the side because it would be wasteful not to make use of cutlery laid out before you.

"Oh," C.C said, raising an eyebrow, "you believe you can do it?"

"Please," Junko replied mockingly towards C.C, "Lelouch has been planning on bringing down Britannia since he was ten."

"I see, so I guess that much should've been clear from your performance on television," C.C said undoubtedly aware of the fact that Lelouch and Zero were one and the same.

Seeing no reason to hide it, "tell me what you plan to do? The military is still pursuing you, aren't they?"

"Not the entire military, but a small faction loyal to Clovis."

"That is rather questionable since I heard his right hand was arrested before Suzaku was," Junko explained. "He was stripped of his rank and charged with gross negligence and suspected of treason for leaving Clovis unguarded."

"Even if the military faction she mentioned isn't hunting her down there is Ultimate Despair." Lelouch pointed out before explaining, "Monokuma had Bartley as his prisoner for who knows how long. We should assume Monokuma is possibly aware of C.C's existence if the bear interrogated him for any information their group could use."

Junko smiled knowingly, but she continued to play along.

"The right-hand man and second in command of Area 11 no doubt possesses a lot of classified information Monokuma squeezed out of him," Lelouch said with both arms crossed over his chest. "No sensible organization that works against Britannia would've thought twice about it."

"You do have a point there," Junko said in agreement, although she already knew about C.C and the project Clovis was conducting. She still had Bartley interrogated, brutally, so Monokuma could reveal he knew what Lelouch understood without having to explain how Monokuma knew.

However, she did learn some additional information from Bartley that Lelouch didn't know about.

"With that said, what do you intend to do?" Lelouch asked the green haired immortal.

C.C was quiet for a moment until she answered without a hint of hesitation in her voice.

"I can just make do here," the green haired woman said, taking off the thigh length boots and the rest of her outfit before climbing into Lelouch's bed. "This should make for an acceptable place for me to hide."

"WHAT!?"

C.C. pulled up the covers over her mouth. "A gentleman would sleep on the floor."

"Don't joke around!"

Junko started laughing.

"Oh man, this is turning into one of those comedic sitcoms," Junko said in between laughs while holding her waist unable to contain herself. "She is just whipping you, Lelouch."

C.C. completely ignored her laughter and focused on addressing Lelouch, whose mood had only become further soured because of Junko's laughing. Mukuro continued to observe in stoic silence.

"If I get caught it would cause trouble for you too."

"It's dangerous to stay together," Lelouch leaned over her as she continued to lie in his bed defiantly. "If anyone else saw you in my room what I am supposed to tell them?"

"Makeup whatever you want," C.C. replied with indifference.

"That is unacceptable." Lelouch snapped as his patience with the girl had grown thin.

"I hate stubbornness." C.C. shot back before turning to her side.

Lelouch sighed in defeat; because he knew any attempt to remove her would possibly cause a scene which would attract unwanted attention even though he could ask Mukuro to help him. The result would be the same, and there was the issue of where he would hide her even if he did get her off the academy grounds without incident.

Junko, on the other hand, was amused by Lelouch unexpected misfortune in light of his plan's success.

"How the heck do you suppose she survived before she was caught? She has a real _I don't give a shit_ attitude," Junko commented as Lelouch got onto his knees to pull up C.C's discarded clothing on the ground.

"You guess is as good as mine, but what I want to know is," Lelouch asked before turning to C.C. to inquire. "What do you expect out of this contract and what exactly is Geass?"

"Goodnight Lelouch!" The green haired immortal replied swiftly ending further attempts at a conversation.

A few minutes later, Lelouch, Mukuro, and Junko reconvened inside the Student Council Meeting Room.

"So what's your plan?" Junko asked with both arms folded over her chest.

"I can't have her staying here? I'll be leaving for Hope's Peak Academy the day after tomorrow when the entrance ceremony begins, so her staying here is out of the question." Lelouch said although it was the most obvious and pressing issue Lelouch was facing. "I'll have to start looking for an apartment near the campus to purchase. I'll move her there."

Lelouch had been planning to purchase an apartment for himself, using the money he won from Monokuma thanks to his Geass enabling him to use the funds without drawing suspicion once he placed his Geass on the right people. Of course, that didn't mean Lelouch was going to allow himself to become careless, so he was mindful as to how much money he used and whom he bought from.

Of course, his Geass gave him the means to use others as a proxy if he had to.

"I was already planning on buying my own place near the school so I can have a secondary location I have control over to use as a safe house and other purposes."

"If you are going to be running a rebellion having an alternate place to crash would be a good idea," Junko said in agreement. Lelouch will obviously be on the move a lot it would be easier for him to have another place to stay mainly if he was too tired to make it back to Ashford Academy.

On the other hand, for Junko Enoshima, if Lelouch had another place all to himself that also opened the door for other possibilities, more _personal_ possibilities to be exact. A toothy smile appeared internally while Junko retained a neutral expression because she realized if she wanted her relationship with Lelouch to go further his apartment would provide an excellent location for that.

"I'll take care of it tomorrow."

* * *

Tomorrow had come, and Lelouch had spent most of his day inspecting apartments he had his eye on, but quality and price were not his only requirements. The former prince was choosing an apartment based on not just their location, but he was picking an apartment based on the number of conditions he had contemplated. Among those was the number of exits the building had, which included which of them would be useful if he needed to escape and which of them would provide opportunities for others to break in.

His other requirements were if the rooms could be potentially modified without requiring inspects to be conducted to ensure no one could pull any kind of surprise inspections or enter his room without his consent to avoid potential complications.

Lelouch knew he could use his Geass to ease some of these problems, but he decided against it. It wasn't out of a sense that he didn't want to be over-reliant on it, but considering the multiple possibilities, he was contemplating in his mind, including what could go wrong with his apartment choice he deemed it was best to keep his Geass as a last resort.

The former prince was currently walking down the street, passing a few apartments that had some rooms available. He had visited a few locations so far, and he was about to check out another apartment when he heard a noise that drew his attention. It was combining from within an alley, he was walking by.

"I never agreed to that!?"

The voice belonged to a young woman, although Lelouch considered ignoring it, he changed his mind after hearing the response the young woman received.

"Come on sweetheart if you want to keep your career going you got to spend some personal time with your manager." The second voice asked, clearly belonging to someone older. "I have been very generous in not demanding it from you sooner."

Lelouch didn't need to hear anymore where the meeting was heading. His disgust at what the man was implying coupled with his seething frustration from C.C. prompted him to take action. It was also an opportunity for the former prince to vent his frustrations.

Entering the alleyway, Lelouch spotted the young woman, who appeared to be as old as he was. She was Japanese, standing roughly five feet and five inches making her just five inches shorter than Lelouch. The young woman was likely a model or stage performer judging by how attractive the teenage girl appeared to be. The eyeliner and makeup she was wearing convinced Lelouch it was more of the latter. She had waist length dark blue hair and blue eyes with a fair skin complexion while she had hair clips in her hair to keep it in place.

The former prince very quickly, and obliviously deduced she was a high school student. The blue-haired woman was a traditional Japanese seifuku-style uniform consisting of a white long-sleeve shirt with a blue sailor collar and a pink bow. She also wore a blue tartan skirt, black thigh socks and brown buckled slip-on shoes.

"Is there a problem?" Lelouch inquired calmly, but his voice was full of disapproval.

The older man turned upon hearing Lelouch's voice quickly straightening his tie, "it's not what it looks like. I am this young woman's manager, and we were having a discussion."

Lelouch eyed the young woman before recognizing her, "I see, you are Sayaka Maizono, the lead singer of the group Sweet Orchard."

"That's right," Sayaka's manager said, adjusting the collar of his dark green suit.

Her manager was a man in his late thirties with slick back brown hair, a thin mustache and a fair skin complexion wearing a dark green suit with an orange tie. The man looked like someone you would find as a car salesman at a used car lot, which only made Lelouch suspicious of the man, yet at the same time, he instantly despised the man more.

Lelouch crossed his arms over his chest before saying, "A bit of an odd place to meet with your client in an alley I thought something was amiss."

"Well, this was an informal meeting, and I was asking Miss Maizono for some favors to help her career."

The former prince was right in his assumption, and a part of him wanted to use his Geass to force the despicable man to commit suicide on the spot, but the logical piece of his mind offered an alternative that would benefit Sayaka.

"I see, although given recent events I would be more careful," Lelouch said before reaching into his pocket to pull out a stack of one hundred Britannian Banknotes. "I would be willing to offer you an idea if I could purchase a moment of your time just around the corner."

The greed in the man's eyes was unmistakable coupled with a smirk, "Well alright since money talks. Wait right here for us Sayaka I doubt this will take very long."

"Yes, it won't," Lelouch said with a thin smile.

Sayaka was nervous, but she remained rooted in place as she observed Lelouch and her manager walk further down the alleyway before vanishing behind a corner. They were gone for about three minutes until her manager returned with Lelouch in tow.

"Sayaka, why don't you forget about spending that evening together and we'll focus on advancing your career."

Sayaka was figuratively floored by the sudden change in her manger's demeanor who wanted her to spend a private evening with him, but now he gave up on pressing the issue. It wasn't that she was glad that she didn't have to offer up her body to keep her dream and career alive, but she was nevertheless shocked by her manager's sudden change. She observed her manager walk away as Lelouch stayed behind with the young woman, but after he was long gone Sayaka turned to the young man.

"What did you do?"

"We came to an understanding, which allowed me to change his mind. He'll focus on your career and protecting your interests, so you can still advance your career and not have to," Lelouch began to say, but he stopped trying to find the best way to finish his sentence. "Do anything unpleasant. I assumed he wanted an evening of sex in exchange for keeping your career going."

Sayaka hesitantly nodded her head.

"Disgusting, but I am glad I was able to _convince_ him otherwise," Lelouch said, trying to hide his stratification, which helped improve his mood. "I know being a celebrity demands a lot, but you shouldn't have to offer up your own body like that."

The young woman was a little suspicious about Lelouch, which was due to how he convinced her manager to stop his advances on her. The worse she had to do so far for the sake of her dream of being an idol posed in Prince Clovis's swimsuits, which was because no other professional models had managed to avoid it using a convenient excuse or having excellent connections. This had helped save Sayaka from making any more horrendous sacrifices, but after Clovis was killed, her safety net that kept her manager from wanting to use her for more private uses was gone. It was her usefulness as a model for Clovis's swimsuits and the money her manager made that had kept her safe, but now it seemed Lelouch had somehow prevented the worst from happening.

In the end, Sayaka decided not to question it further, but she remained healthily wary of the young man who came to her aid.

"I don't know how you did it, but just the same I am thankful that you did whatever you did to convince him," Sayaka said bowing her head respectfully.

"A simple thank you will suffice Miss Maizono."

"Please, you can call me Sayaka, Mr…"

"Lelouch, Lelouch Lamperouge," Lelouch said introducing himself.

"Thank you again, but if you don't mind me asking what school do you go to?"

"I'll be starting at Hope's Peak Academy very soon actually."

"Really," Sayaka replied with a look of surprise, "I'll be starting at Hope's Peak Academy myself."

"I see then we could be classmates."

"That would be nice because it would be nice to share a class with someone I know," Sayaka said, delighted at the prospect. "I haven't seen the full list of everyone attending as part of the new Class 78, but no one I know was among them."

"Going to a new school full of strangers can be difficult," Lelouch said in agreement recalling his own first time at a new school when he first attended Ashford Private Academy. He wasn't exactly the warmest person, but Milly managed to help him lighten up a little. Their conversation continued as Sayaka and Lelouch walked out of the alleyway a little. "I understand that experience too well."

* * *

Elsewhere in Area 11, Suzaku Kururugi was leaving the Government Administration building that was part of the Viceroy's Palace. Even though he was harshly questioned about Zero, he was ultimately released, and all of the charges against him were dropped due to Zero and Monokuma exposing the fact they had no evidence to actually prove Suzaku was the culprit especially with Zero admitting publicly that he had killed Prince Clovis. What had helped Suzaku get through his trial quicker was the fact that the administration and government of Area 11 had wanted his trial taken care of so they could focus on more pressing matters, especially as Princess Cornelia was expected to arrive tomorrow night.

Instead of a prisoner's uniform, Suzaku was wearing civilian attire as he had the rest of the day to himself. He wore a pair of black sunglasses, deciding it was best to conceal his identity for now. Suzaku public attire, while he was out in public, consisted of gray jeans, brown boots, a mustard yellow shirt, and a blue coat with a white stripe going down the middle of his back. He carried his belongings in a small bag hung over his left shoulder. Even though Suzaku was freed, he was still surprised by the events that had taken place and his mind was still trying to process much of what had happened.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a voice from above call out.

"Excuse me," A girl said as Suzaku looked up, his eyes went wide in shock to see said young woman falling towards him, "out of the way, please. Look out below!"

Responding reflexively, Suzaku dropped his bag and caught the girl before she could hit the ground.

Recovering from the shock of a girl literally falling into his arms Suzaku composed himself to ask the young woman as he lowered her to the ground so she could plant both feet on the ground allowing her to stand up.

"Are you alright?"

The girl looked up at him, she was Britannian, but her beauty was just stunning to Suzaku, who couldn't help but be captivated by it. She had a fair, if slightly pale, skin tone with waist-length pink hair and bluish-violet eyes. She wore a black choker with an orange and white dress with long sleeves and green wrapped around the torso. She wore a pair of red high heels, and her hair was uniquely styled which only made her stand out more in Suzaku's eyes.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't aware you were down here until I had leaped."

"Well, don't worry," Suzaku said as he helped the young woman to her feet. "I wasn't expecting a girl to come falling out of the sky and into my arms, either."

"Oh, my..." The young girl muttered before looking away for a moment seemingly worried.

"Huh?" Suzaku was concerned, prompting him to ask, "Is there something wrong?"

The girl looked back at him smiling, "Yes! There is something wrong."

Suzaku was a bit confused.

"The truth is bad guys are chasing me. So considering the circumstances could you help me, please?"

* * *

Lelouch and Sayaka were walking down the street together because thought it would be proper for a gentleman to escort Sayaka home. Not to mention, because they would be attending Hope's Peak Academy together, it was an excellent opportunity to learn about his future classmate. The information might not be all that useful, but the former prince saw no reason not to learn about his classmates given that all of them were the best of the best. Some could potentially make potential allies in the future, and maybe even Sayaka given her status as a famous pop star among the Japanese could be helpful in the future.

The two walked pass a café as they continued talking, but unknown to them, they had caught the eye of someone leaving the establishment.

"Ultimate Strategist," Sayaka said, repeating the title of Lelouch's talent, "an interesting title."

"I always had a talent for strategy whenever it's playing chess or similar games. I suppose I should thank our fellow classmate we'll be seeing for getting me noticed."

"Who was it?"

"The Ultimate Gambler, Celestia Ludenberg," Lelouch answered. "I encountered her a dozen times in some of the underground gambling games I took part in. She lives up to her title, and she is one of the few people who has bested me."

"You are too kind Lelouch, but I only bested you at games that weren't chess."

Sayaka and Lelouch turned around to see a young woman with a willowy figure and pale skin standing at five feet tall and five inches wearing a pair of red Mary Janes with a thick heel held secured by three gray buckles that added to her height. She possessed black hair and red eyes, although her hair appeared longer styled into a pair of drill-like pigtails they were in fact clip on. The girl wore a pair of gold circular earrings; each has an image depicting the cross engraved on them with a red gem placed in the center. Adding to her gothic lolita-themed appearance, she wore black nail polish and pink lipstick that couldn't be seen from afar. The rest of her outfit consists of a white blouse with a Peter-Pan collar, a black jacket that includes white ribbon lacing down the bell-shaped sleeves, fastened by a white ribbon across her chest to reveal her red tie. The tie itself had a black butterfly-like pattern layered on top of it with skulls attached to it. Her matching black skirt has many-tiered and features white lace.

Finishing her outfit, she wore black knee-high stockings trimmed in ladder lace and lastly upon her head was a white lace mob cap and a silver, gunmetal plated ring layered in overlapping sections on her right index finger.

"Sayaka allow me to introduce Celestia Ludenberg." Lelouch said taking this unexpected run-in with Celestia in stride, "and Celestia this is Sayaka Maizono."

"Ah, so you are the Ultimate Pop Sensation attending Hope's Peak Academy. I heard of you of course, because how can anyone not know the lead singer of Sweet Orchid?"

"Well thank you Miss Ludenberg," Sayaka replied politely.

"If I may inquire Lelouch what are you two doing together?"

"I was escorting Sayaka back home after she ran into a spot of trouble earlier."

Celestia smiled in amusement, "I see so you decided to intervene once again. Just like that time when a younger Britannian rear-ended an elderly couple, but he tried to shift the blame onto them."

"Oh," The young blue haired woman inquired.

"It happened some months ago while Lelouch and I were at a café together where we witnessed an accident at an intersection." Celestia began as she told the tale. "The younger driver was clearly at fault, but he kept trying to shift the blame onto the older couple. No one offered to help, so with a look of pure indifference on his face as he simply waltzed over to the younger Britannian's car and took the hook from a tow truck that had been stopped next to it while the light was red and attached it to the car. So once the light turned green, the tow truck dragged it away. Lelouch returned to his table with me without a word and still possessing a look of indifference on his face."

The young gothic-lolita dressed teenager was visibly amused by the story.

"It sickened me that no one was doing anything about it even though the truth about what happened was as plain as day," Lelouch commented. "They were a bunch of idiots."

"That's pretty harsh," Sayaka noted prompting Celestia to add.

"Lelouch is harshly honest sometimes, but that is part of what makes him who he is. If he has a strong opinion about something, he won't beat around the bush."

* * *

As Lelouch, Celestia and Sayaka began walking together Suzaku and the young woman he had caught from falling were walking through a small part after getting far away from the place where the two had met. However, it was apparent to Suzaku that the girl walking him with had lied about people chasing after her, although he was curious as to why she had told him such a lie. Suzaku was confident she had no malicious intent or anything to indicate foul play involved so, for now, he decided to merely play along for the time being.

"We haven't introduced ourselves yet, have we?" The young woman began before taking a moment to consider something before saying, "My name is Euphy."

"Euphy?" Suzaku said thinking it was an odd name, but he knew there were people were stranger names out there.

"Yes."

"My name is," Suzaku began before Euphy playfully interrupted him.

"Don't tell me." Euphy began, "Cause I already know it. You're a celebrity, son of Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi, Private Suzaku Kururugi."

Suzaku was thoughtful for a moment before his face turned serious as he asked, "You lied before. There's no one chasing you at all, right?"

Seemingly indifferent to his question Suzaku heard Euphy say meow to an injured stray black cat nearby. She was kneeling down before the cat making cat noises to placate the creature despite it hissing at her, but it soon warmed up to her enough to rub its face against her extended right index finger.

Once that was done a smiling Euphy picked up the cat holding him up for Suzaku to see.

With a smile, the young Japanese teen extended a hand to pet it, but the cat suddenly bit his finger prompting a painful grunt from Suzaku.

"Oh, my."

After buying some food and some drinks, including obtaining a Band-Aid for Suzaku as well as something to mend the cat's injured leg the two were sitting on some steps.

Euphy asked a question to Suzaku as she finished mending the cat's leg. "Do you have trouble with cats?"

"I like them fine. However," Suzaku answered before attempting to pet the cat, but he pulled his hand back when it hissed at him. "The attraction isn't mutual."

"I think unrequited love is a mark of a kind person. Oh," Euphy stopped her sentence short when the cat ran away.

The young girl was clearly disappointed. "The kitty ran away."

"Euphy, why did you tell me that lie when we met?"

Euphy didn't seem to be surprised her lie had been noticed, but nevertheless, she asked. "Do you ask because you're concerned about me?"

Suzaku was uncertain how to answer that, so he only replied, "of course."

"Good! Then you can accompany me some more." Euphy said before pulling Suzaku's arm encouraging the young man to accompany her. "Come on. It'll be fun."

Unknown to them Junko Enoshima, who was inside the Monokuma Control Room, was observing them using security cameras the park had to monitor Euphy's movements, although the fact that she began traveling around with Suzaku was unexpected. However, it wasn't an unwanted development prompting a wide toothy grin to appear on Junko's face.

* * *

A short time later after Celestia shared some of her encounters with Lelouch with Sayaka, the trio had reached the ground floor of Sayaka's apartment. They might've arrived sooner, but the trio was slowed down as they spent a long time talking to one another. Fortunately, it seemed neither one was bothered as they were too engrossed in the conversation they were having, although it helped that Lelouch enjoyed retelling tales about how he left some members of the nobility humiliated.

"I am glad for meeting both of you," Sayaka said, but her gratitude for Lelouch didn't fade. "I'll try to repay you for what you did."

"Don't worry about it Sayaka."

"I know, but I do owe you a favor." Sayaka offered, "Maybe when you need help I'll help you in turn."

Lelouch sighed upon seeing that nothing would deter her, "Very well, but it won't be anything unreasonable, fair enough?"

"I can work with that."

After bidding Lelouch and Celestia farewell, Sayaka boarded the elevator and began heading to her apartment, although she was grateful she couldn't help but wonder how Lelouch convinced her manager to stop his advances. All of her past attempts and even with her being very reasonable couldn't get him to cease, and it was known he had done that to a majority of his female clients especially the non-Britannian clients he had.

Sayaka prided herself on having what could be excellent intuition that she joked she was psychic, but no matter how hard Sayaka thought about it she couldn't grasp how Lelouch did it.

 _Well I should be glad,_ _and_ _I am_ _sure_ _he had no ill intent behind what he did, so maybe I should be_ _happy_ _I have a friend with who can be very persuasive._

Upon entering her spacious apartment on the top floor, Sayaka made her way through living room making a beeline for the bedroom before collapsing onto her bed. Her bed was queen size bed covered in pink blankets and sheets, being her favorite color, but for now, the young woman buried her face in her pillows. She laid motionless for three minutes before rolling towards the nightstand sitting next to her bed where she opened the drawer to pull out a magazine.

The magazine was from Eleven Weekly and on the cover was a picture of Zero with the primary article of the issue.

Exclusive Report: Zero's Identity!

Sayaka was doubtful they knew about Zero's identity otherwise it would've been all over the news by now, but he had cunning and audacity that had to be admired. Against all the odds Zero rescued the innocent Private Suzaku Kururugi from the Military while admitting he was the one who had killed Princess Clovis in retaliation for the mass slaughter of the people living in the Shinjuku Ghetto.

 _I wonder if he might be successful in freeing Japan._

Due to her Japanese heritage, Sayaka has been striving to achieve her goal of being a pop idol despite Britannia's culture and favoritism towards those of Britannia birth being a severe problem. It was thanks to Hope's Peak Academy existing in Area 11 that the Emperor had made a special law exclusive to Area 11 that allowed everyone, including Numbers, to pursue their dream goals so their talents could be put on display. This was to ensure that only the very best would be chosen for Hope's Peak Academy because the Emperor believed those among the Honorary Britannians and Numbers would be more driven to prove themselves.

This enabled the Emperor to push his own people to strive harder to be their very best under the belief that their success as an Empire caused their own people to lax, which he deemed unacceptable.

Of course, that didn't mean she didn't have to deal with Britannians who wanted to take advantage of her by threatening to derail her career, which she managed to avoid offering up her body by posing for Clovis's swimwear. Of course, that ended with his demise, which cost her protection until Lelouch came around unexpected like some form of divine intervention.

 _How long would that last?_

Sayaka knew sooner or later she might end up with a new manager and she dreaded what more she would have to sacrifice for her dream, but upon seeing Zero, Sayaka wondered if maybe some hope existed where she wouldn't have to if Japan were freed from Britannian control. Since she was a child, she had hoped the Japan Liberation Front would do it, but as the years passed it became apparent, they weren't capable of liberating their conquered nation. She didn't condone terrorism, but she didn't want to see her dream die just because she wasn't born a Britannian.

Sayaka silently studied the magazine over; although she didn't know for sure, Sayaka hoped Zero would succeed where the JLF and other groups have failed.

* * *

Outside Celestia and Lelouch were talking down the street together, but with Sayaka now gone the young woman in Lelouch's company turned her heads towards the young man.

"You have quite the charm, Lelouch? I won't be shocked if you have a following of girls back at your school." Celestia offered humorously, but her comment actually annoyed Lelouch.

"You have no idea, and it's annoying. Those girls are just so shallow; all they see me for is the cool pretty boy." Lelouch replied making no attempt to hide his distaste for the attention he received from the female population of Ashford Academy. Milly didn't exactly help matters by making use of Lelouch's own popularity for her own amusement such as during the school event during the holidays that had the police called in.

"That doesn't seem surprising."

"Somehow I wouldn't doubt you've had a few boys hounding you for more than your looks," Lelouch said causally, although it annoyed Celestia slightly she reasoned that she should've known that Lelouch would've countered with a similar question.

"As you said it's annoying, but fortunately I am quite blunt and clear that I am not interested in them. It usually gets my point across. Otherwise, I have," Celestia explained while smiling before allowing a moment to pass before finishing her sentence, "ways of making them back off."

"Given all of the underground gambling rings and even the most dangerous ones you have been involved in I don't doubt that."

Celestia merely chuckled, "Anyway I assume then you'll be more than happy of accepting an invitation to Hope's Peak Academy. At least you won't have a horde of rapid _shallow_ women as you put it causing you grief."

The former prince smiled at this, "Yes that will be relief at least."

* * *

Suzaku and Euphy were currently in the last place anyone would've expected to go, especially for a young woman who was vacationing. According to Euphy, she was spending a day off after arriving from the homeland, so she wanted to use her time to explore Area 11 and to see what kind of place it was. She had been going to school in the homeland for the last week before she was summoned to Area 11 by her sister who she would meet tomorrow night.

The last place Euphy wanted to visit was Shinjuku Ghetto.

The sun was beginning to set slowly in the distance by the time the two had arrived, which made the forlorn scene before them more appropriate. It was a small makeshift cemetery with headstones made from pieces of wood and pipes while pictures of those who died had been tapped upon broken walls with toys and flowers left at the feet of the headstones. Euphy and Suzaku were both quiet as they looked upon the small cemetery for those who had died in the mass slaughter that had happened days ago.

Even though they hadn't seen any corpses along the way, which as far as Suzaku knew had been taken care of, the scars from the battle were still the same as they were when Suzaku had been here last.

"Shinjuku Ghetto, ruined again," Suzaku said sadly, "and the people were beginning to come back too."

Euphy was silent, but the silence was broken by the sound of two Britannian Schoolboys on the hill behind them near the remains of a statue. Their uniforms indicated they were students of Ashford Academy with one of being more heavy set than his companion with blonde hair and an orange bandana while the other skinnier of the two had black hair.

Unfortunately, their admiration of the damage inflicted by the military and treating it like a tourist attraction quickly drew the ire of the ghetto's remaining resistance.

Tamaki advanced on them flanked by his friends Minami and Yoshida, and the first thing Tamaki did was slap the camera out of the hands of the broader set of the two schoolboys before shouting at them with nothing but fury in his voice.

"Get out of here, you damn Britannian bastards!"

Suzaku gestured for Euphy to stay before hurrying to the boys' defense knowing full well how the confrontation was likely to end without intervention.

"How dare a lowly Eleven speak like," The blonde haired teenager began before Tamaki interrupted him.

"Don't call me Eleven! I'm Japanese."

"Wrong." The thinner of the two schoolboys said, although despite being bold he was clearly scared of Tamaki. "You seem to forget you people lost. You're nothing but a beaten dog!"

This only caused a growl to erupt from Tamaki's throat, "You racist pig.

"Stop," Suzaku said as he came running up the hill hoping to intervene before things escalated. "Please no violence!"

"Stay out of this!" Tamaki roared as he tried to slap Suzaku in the face after he grabbed his shoulder from behind, but he narrowly missed slapping his sunglasses off his face instead.

"You're that," Minami muttered, as he and everyone else was shocked to see Suzaku in probably the one place they didn't expect.

"Are you Suzaku Kururugi?" Tamaki asked, but he didn't need an answer from Suzaku.

"The guy who killed Clovis?" Minami mentioned, but Yoshida corrected him.

"No, it was Zero who killed him."

Tamaki brushed it off. "This guy is nothing more than a slave. Big deal; you're an Honorary Britannian. Nobody cares. You sold your pride, your people, yourself, yet you call yourself Japanese? Not to mention you helped these bastards nearly wipe us out!"

Tamaki looked really to attack Suzaku as did his friends, but the two schoolboys began backing away ready to run at the first chance they had.

"No! You're wrong!" Suzaku denied, but this only worsened the situation.

"I am not wrong! You stinking Britannian lapdog," Tamaki said rushing to attack Suzaku, but the younger man grabbed Tamaki before flipping him over his shoulder sending him into the ground.

"Stop, please!" Suzaku asked as Tamaki recovered rising up to his feet, "I've warned you I've been trained for military combat. Don't make me fight against my own people."

Before Tamaki could argue further a very familiar voice caused everyone's blood to run cold.

"Upupupu, hello everyone!"

Everyone stopped to look behind Suzaku and Euphy who had hurried up the hill to join them to see Monokuma, which prompted a frightened Euphy to quickly take cover behind Suzaku. Monokuma was soon joined by over a dozen members of Ultimate Despair wearing the traditional suit and mask. Half of the gathered dozen members of Ultimate Despair were armed with assault rifles.

"I am Monokuma, the adorable leader of Ultimate Despair, nice to meetcha."

"Oh shit, it's that bear!" Tamaki shouted in fright turning white as a sheet before Tamaki, Minami, and Yoshida ran away as fast as their legs could carry them. Even the two schoolboys wasted no time running away leaving Euphy and Suzaku to contend with Monokuma.

"Now that I made my dashing appearance," Monokuma said striking a cutesy pose with one hand behind its head. "The first thing I got to say is that I am surprised to see that you Suzaku have gone from a man who was accused of killing a prince to a tour guide for a princess."

"What," Suzaku said as he was caught off guard by that revelation.

"Oh you didn't know," Monokuma said genuinely surprised by Suzaku's lack of knowledge about the identity of Euphy, although Junko wasn't. "That girl's real name is Euphemia li Britannia the Third Princess of the Empire, and soon to be the new Sub-Viceroy of Area 11."

Even though Suzaku was shocked, he stood his ground ready to defend Euphy to the death if need be.

"You won't take her without going through me?!"

Monokuma titled his head to one side confused, "take her? What are you talking about?"

Suddenly the sound of party poppers was head as the air was filled with colorful confetti before some of the Ultimate Despair members raised up a colorful homemade banner: **Welcome Princess Euphemia!**

Both Euphy and Suzaku were understandably dumbfounded.

"This is just absolutely poptastic," Monokuma exclaimed happily, "We'll have not one, but two royals in Area 11 now."

"You can't be," Suzaku began hesitantly, but at the same time, he remained on high alert. "You can't be doing this just as generous gesture."

"Why not," The two-tone bear commented, "why do you need a reason for everything?"

"You are an inhuman mass murder!"

"You say I am inhuman, but I was never human, to begin with because I am a bear," Monokuma replied striking another cutesy pose. "Besides look who called the kettle black, you helped the Britannia Army slaughter most of these people, so what makes you different?"

Suzaku was left without a way of countering Monokuma's accusation, but Euphy stepped in.

"Monokuma, why do you delight in the despair of others? What is your motivation?"

Monokuma raised a paw extending his claws clearly annoyed, "Again with the why? Do you ask a tornado why it tore through a town that sends cows flying? Do you ask an Earthquake why it turned a coastal city into new ocean front property?"

The bear struck a dramatic pose before continuing.

"Despair is something that can consume everything; love, hope, past, and futures. It can bring chaos to the world just like a single bullet can set off a world war. Just look at what I accomplished with my Killing Game? The entire Chinese Federation is having one of the most devastating civil wars in their most recent recorded history."

"All for what?!" Suzaku demanded.

"No reason, because the world is so boring," Monokuma answered, "I mean being conquered by Britannia changed Japan into a more fun-filled place, so I made it my mission in life to make everyone see that."

Suzaku and Euphy were left speechless because Monokuma didn't care about bringing about any positive change or even the future. He was a bear who seemingly just wanted to watch the world burn.

"Don't think of me as a monster. I am just a bear who is ahead of the curve." Monokuma said dismissively, "Besides Britannia just conquers and if you aren't Britannian, then you are doomed to sit at the bottom of the ladder for the rest of your life as a bottom feeder. So what gives you the right to judge me?"

"I am going to change Britannia from within that's why. Victory gained through dishonest means is no victory at all." Suzaku boldly declared.

Monokuma titled his head to one side seemingly confused and surprised at the same time. "Huh?"

"I concur with Suzaku," Euphy said, surprising Suzaku.

"Britannia needs to change from within because its current system has led to nothing but loss and heartbreak a factor in the death of my siblings."

The two-toned bear merely looked at them in what appeared to be stunned silence before…

"Ah-hahahahahahahaha!"

Monokuma began laughing before falling back onto his back where the bear continued to laugh hysterically for a full two minutes before finally stopping.

"Wait," Monokuma inquired with surprise, "you guys are serious?"

The bear broke into another into a fit hysterical laughter for another minute before Suzaku interrupted by demanding with an angry look in his eyes.

"Something funny?"

Monokuma managed to collect himself before responding, "Well if you believe in changing the system from within, a system enjoyed by the majority of the royal family and the nobility. Meaning chances are the system will kill you, because you got too many in Britannia who likes things the way they are and they'll kill you for it unless you kill them first. That might've worked with any other country, but not Britannia."

Euphy and Suzaku were left without a way to counter Monokuma's words, but the bear wasn't giving them a chance.

"The world is only as good as it allows people to be. What the so-called morals and codes of conduct people have is just a bad joke dropped at the first sign of trouble. Hell Britannia is at least honest that he doesn't try to pretend like other people. You, Princess Euphemia, are just the odd duck of the family who will never live to see her foolish ideals made a reality, because either they'll get you killed before I even have a chance. More than anything you'll be a cute doll your older sister will just use as a pretty puppet to be kept on her shelf."

Those words struck a nerve with Euphemia.

"YOU'RE LYING!" Euphy said with tears forming her eyes.

"Aw hell naw, everyone knows how Cornelia dots on you, so why did she really bring you here?"

"That's enough you words won't make me back down."

"Uh-oh," Monokuma said bringing both paws close to his mouth in a seemingly surprised expression, "did you awaken to your sense of justice? Well, it just so happens there is nothing more unethical than an unwavering sense of justice. After all, it's people with that sort of mentality that perpetuate war all over the world. Is that the kind of justice that has awakened within you?"

"I'll change Britannia from within even if it kills me!" Suzaku snapped defiantly.

"That is more likely to happen than you changing Britannia from within," Monokuma said before charging at Suzaku, although it was more of a waddle than a charge. "Ok you stupid boy with the Quisling and internal reformist tropes going for you, but I am just going kick your ass because your sense of justice is giving me nausea, so I need some relief."

Without hesitating Suzaku accepted Monokuma's challenge, and seeing how the bear waddled towards him, he thought this would be an easy victory.

Unfortunately for him, he was underestimating the one behind Monokuma's controls as Junko Enoshima switched Monokuma into battle mode. Junko brought her hands together before cracking her fingers in preparation.

Suddenly Monokuma displayed speed Suzaku didn't expect before appearing behind him attempting to sweep him off his feet with a sweeping kick, but Suzaku responded jumping over the bear's kick. Monokuma then leaped into the air before trying to punch Suzaku in the back of the head, but just as quickly he turned around and deflected the punch. The force of Monokuma's blow forced Suzaku back a few inches as a testament to the power behind the bear's strike.

Euphy, watching the fight unfold before her, could barely keep up with their movements. Monokuma's small size and seemingly incredible agility and speed gave him an advantage over Suzaku who was having a difficult time attempting to hit the bear as his foe's small size helped him with evading Suzaku's attacks. However, Suzaku realized getting hit by Monokuma in the head or chest could be potentially fatal as he blocked one of the bear's punches with his left forearm he felt as if his arm had been hit with a lead pipe.

Soon the bear and Suzaku began a rapid exchange of punches, but neither could get a blow in as Suzaku managed to parry the bear' punches as his lack of arm length didn't leave Monokuma with much regarding attack opportunities. Jumping back Suzaku attempted to drive his foot into Monokuma's head with a low sweeping kick, but Junko whose superhuman analytic skills predicted the attack and working the controls of Monokuma like never before not only dodged the attack before moving in to deliver a hard punch to Suzaku's crouch.

The blow floored Suzaku as Euphy ran to him, but before the young woman could reach him, Monokuma grabbed Suzaku by the hair and punched him in the face.

"Nyoooohohohoho!" Monokuma laughed before putting one foot on Suzaku's chest striking a victory pose, "We are on completely different levels."

The bear moved closer to an unconscious Suzaku before whispering.

"That means we view the world differently."

Monokuma got off of Suzaku and began walking away commenting, "It's like a character from a normal anime challenging a character from a super-powered battle anime. I'll be going now, but tell your boyfriend the next time we meet, he better hope he doesn't become a contestant on the new Killing Game I am planning."

Euphy said nothing to Monokuma, but she merely knelt down more worried for Suzaku's wellbeing as Monokuma's laughter faded as he and his followers departed.

Thankfully Euphy received assistance from Lloyd and Cecile who arrived on the scene having been following Suzaku and Euphemia, although they had called the police about Monokuma's arrival they knew they wouldn't come in time. They would've intervened earlier, but they were worried they would've endangered the young princess's life.

"Are you alright Princess Euphemia?" Cecile asked as she knelt down to check Suzaku while Lloyd lazily leaned against the ruined statue.

"I am fine, but Suzaku needs help."

"He appears to be fine," Cecile said as she checked Suzaku's pulse, "his injuries are minor, but I'll ask a doctor to check him."

"That Monokuma is a fine machine," Lloyd mused paying no mind to Cecile and Euphemia as he adjusted his glasses in contemplation, "I am very curious who not only created him but who controls him."

* * *

As the last of the day began to fade a small, but an unexpected noteworthy event was taking place outside the gates of Hope's Peak Academy as Mikan was walking past the main gate noticing the signs and decorations set up for tomorrow's entrance ceremony for the new Class 78.

"As of tomorrow I'll be an upperclassman," Mikan said to herself but flinched when Ryota slammed his hand on the wall near her head to get her attention. Mikan timidly looked up at Ryota who seemed strangely more intimating than usual, which his heavy-set physique helped to illuminate.

"You are coming with me!"

"Huh?!"

"I need you!" Ryota said with a seriousness that seemed strangely out of character for him, but before Mikan could protest the Ryota scooped the Ultimate Nurse before running down the street with her displaying remarkable strength and speed that seemed unexpected for him.

"Why," Mikan began on the verge of tears, "This is it! My life is about to become a late night movie!"

* * *

The following day Lelouch arrived at Hope's Peak Academy, although he had his academy uniform he decided to go in his Ashford Academy uniform. He wasn't alone because walking alongside him was his new neighbors who got an apartment next to his. Junko was dressed in her more preferred attire complete with her bow and bunny hairclips on while Mukuro was with them, but she swapped out her Ashford Academy uniform for a white dress shirt, a red ribbon tie, a brown skirt, long black socks and matching shoes with brown gloves over her hands.

The trio was approaching the main gate ahead of a young man, who was presumably a new student as well.

He was an average Japanese teenager with brown hair and a prominent ahoge on top of his head. They couldn't see it, but he also possessed hazel eyes and had a fair skin complexion was standing at least five feet tall and three inches. His choice of attire for his first day was a zipped-up dull green hoodie with a red stripe along the zipper with an open black jacket and green buttons worn over it. The rest of his outfit consisted of black jeans and red sneakers.

Makoto Naegi, the newly titled Ultimate Lucky Student for the freshman class, took his first steps into Hope's Peak Academy.

Following behind him was Junko, Mukuro, and Lelouch.

"So from this moment on we're going to be classmates, and neighbors!" Junko announced happily throwing her arm over Lelouch's shoulder.

Lelouch merely raised an eyebrow at her, _Yes I should say I am surprised, but you likely went out of your way to make sure we were not only in the same apartment building but we would be next to each other._

After parting ways with Celestia yesterday the young gambler offered Lelouch the address of an apartment he should check out finding it fit his needs and expectations much better than anywhere else, so he purchased it only to discover that a few hours later Junko and Mukuro would be occupying the apartment next-door to him.

It was a little annoying, but it was convenient since Mukuro had offered to help him in his endeavors as Zero, although they would need to create a masked identity for Mukuro as well since her relation to Lelouch might potentially expose him as Zero.

"So the Ultimate Fashionista and the Ultimate Solider," Lelouch mused.

"Yep we got our old titles back, and you Ultimate Strategist. That title fits you to a damn T!" Junko said holding Lelouch closer to her.

"Good morning Lelouch," Sayaka greeted as she approached the trio from behind, "it's nice to see you again."

"Huh," Junko said before recognizing Sayaka, "Hey Lelouch when did you get aquatinted with Sayaka Maizono?"

"Junko Enoshima?" Sayaka said surprised to see the famed half-Britannian model.

Lelouch was both a little surprised and intrigued at the same time. "You two know each other?"

"We met a few times when I had to pose for a swimsuit magazine." Junko answered before asking, "So how do you two know each other?"

"We met yesterday where she was caught up in a bit of trouble, which I helped resolved."

Sayaka nodded, "yes, although I am curious how you managed to convince my manager to stop…you know? Still, I am very grateful regardless, so I am not too worried about how you did it."

Junko's eyes narrowed, _I see so he used a bit of Geass._

"You just had to play the Good Samaritan once again," Junko said folding her arms over her chest.

"I guess it's like Celestia said." The pop idol noted recalling the gambler's story from yesterday.

"Lelouch is just full of surprises." Junko began before Sayaka and Junko became engaged in a conversation about the young man as Mukuro and Lelouch walked together. Likewise, the two following close behind entered the school.

The conversation kept going until they reached the gymnasium where seventeen chairs had been set up in front of the stage with the school flag hanging above it, and a podium with the school's crest was also set up.

Mukuro and Lelouch began looking around as the latter was curious to get a look at his new classmates.

One of them, apparently the tallest of the class caught Lelouch's eye.

"Is that Sakura Ogami?" Lelouch asked Mukuro.

"Yes," Mukuro replied, "she is the famed strongest woman in the world, or at least as far as anyone in Area 11 and Britannia is aware of."

Sakura stood a towering six feet and three inches tall weighing in at just over two hundred pounds with a powerful muscular build, although this, along with her deep voice, has caused her to be mistaken for a man at times. Thankfully Lelouch recognized the difference and knew she was defiantly a she, which was helped by what he had heard about her when he got word of the names of his new classmates before today. The Ultimate Martial Artist possesses long white hair that reaches midway down her back. Her reddened-dark skin coupled with a scar across her face were all signs of the intense training she has put her body through since childhood to train to the absolute peak of human physical fitness, her pale blue eyes added to her stern demeanor.

Like Lelouch, she was wearing her former school uniform that was a traditional seifuku style Japanese school uniform comprising of a white shirt with a blue sailor collar, a short blue skirt, and a red tie. The sleeves on the sailor fuku were torn off to make room for her muscular upper arms, which looked sturdy enough to potentially bend steel. As one might expect from her title, Sakura wore bandages wrapped around her calves and forearms. Her footwear was a pair of grey with blue tips Uwabaki.

"HELLO!" A young girl who was the same age as he greeted with a happy and cheerful voice.

The girl standing, being seven inches shorter than Lelouch in front of him was a Japanese girl, but Lelouch suspected she might be half-Britannian because of her tanned complexion. Regardless she had bright blue eyes and a curvaceous, athletic body, which her attire suggested she was in sports and very outgoing. Her long brown hair was fashioned into a ponytail while she wore blue athletic shorts, a red tracksuit jacket over her white shirt.

"Good morning Miss," Lelouch said offering his hand in a friendly handshake.

"My name is Aoi Asahina!" Asahina replied with a seemingly boundless optimism behind her voice.

"I heard that name before." The former prince said recognizing the name. "One of my friends on my old school student council mentioned competing against you when Ashford Academy challenged Asunaro High School during a swimming match."

"Oh," Asahina was immediately interested, "who was your friend?"

"Shirley Fenette."

"Shirley I remember here we met during that tournament, but boy was she really trying to keep up with me." Asahina mused with a giggle.

"Yes, I have because Shirley told me you like a swimming machine. You completely out swam everyone on the swim team including Shirley."

The young girl laughed before presenting herself with a rather modest expression, "I have been swimming for a long time, but I have always been active in other sports like baseball, basketball, volleyball, tennis, and track and field!"

Lelouch smiled before he thought, _I can see why_ _she and Shirley hit_ _it off. I can see certain similarities between them, but Asahina seems much more active and outgoing in comparison._

"I see why Shirley spoke so highly of you. I haven't seen you swimming, but from her comments, it seems you made quite the impression. I guess your title must be Ultimate Swimming Pro."

"Nailed it!" The girl replied giving Lelouch the thumbs up gesture.

"Your optimism and energy are really something. You remind me of another person I know."

"Oh really, would that be me?" Suzaku joked as he approached Lelouch and Asahina with Chihiro walking alongside him. Chihiro wore the same attire while Suzaku was wearing the standard Hope's Peak Academy uniform for boys.

"Suzaku," Lelouch said with a look of genuine surprise, "I didn't know you got scouted for this school?"

Suzaku suspected the real question Lelouch had wanted to ask was how he was alive.

"Oh," Lelouch said being the gentleman decided to provide introductions, "Miss Asahina this is Suzaku Kururugi, and I guess I should've introduced myself I am Lelouch Lamperouge."

"You can just call me Aoi or use my nickname Hina, but nice to meet you Suzaku," Asahina replied before giving Suzaku a very friendly and energetic handshake.

"The pleasure is all mines."

"So Suzaku what talent did you get scouted for?"

"The Ultimate Knightmare Frame Pilot," Suzaku answered which didn't surprise Lelouch, but he was mindful of acting as if he was to keep up appearances.

"Sweet so your ultimate talent is piloting giant robots!" Asahina exclaimed excitedly.

"Yeah, and Chihiro Fujisaki is the Ultimate Programmer who works in my unit. She developed the operating systems among other things I am not at liberty to discuss." Suzaku said gesturing to the shy and timid Chihiro.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance Chihiro," Lelouch said offering to shake hands with the Ultimate Programmer.

"Likewise!" Asahina chimed in.

Quietly observing them was another student who possessed the title of Ultimate Affluent Progeny.

He stood proudly at six foot one, being a tad taller than Lelouch, with a fair skin complexion, blonde hair and blue eyes with a pair of thin white framed glasses worn over them. He wore a black suit with a white dress shirt underneath with a green crisscross tie. He watched them, with arms folded over his chest, for a moment as his primary interest was Suzaku Kururugi being more than familiar with having been the son of Japan's last Prime Minister.

Byakuya Togami, the heir to the Togami Family, who is considered the heir to Japan's most influential family whose current family head led the Future Foundation as a member of the Steeling Committee.

Glancing around the room, Byakuya eyed another member of his class, the one who earned the title Ultimate Baseball Star.

The young man didn't dress the part, especially since his hair had been dyed orange and styled to have a spiky appearance including a goatee. He had a fair skin complexion with pale blue eyes wearing a white blazer jacket with the collar popped up. Under it, he wore a white shirt with a red grunge skull design upon it with dark blue jeans and white platform shoes. His other accessories included a padlocked chain necklace, two overlapping studded belts, rings, and an oversized safety pin on his lapel. He has several piercings located on his labret, his tongue, and six in his right ear.

Looking at him, no one thinks Leon Kuwata was a baseball player and looked like an aspiring member of a rock band.

 _Those two are_ _somewhat_ _questionable choices for students,_ Byakuya contemplated he looked at the young man Leon was sharing a conversation with.

His name was Mondo Owada, and due to his leadership of Area 11's fiercest and largest motorcycle gang the Crazy Diamonds earning him the title of Ultimate Biker Gang Leader.

 _I am shocked they didn't arrest him at the door._

Mondo stood at an intimidating six feet and two inches being slighter taller than Byakuya and a little shorter than Sakura. He had a muscular build befitting of his place as the leader of the Crazy Diamonds giving an intimidating figure which was enhanced by his black overcoat adorned with the symbol of the Crazy Diamonds along with orange Japanese text and dragon symbols on the back. Mondo had slightly tanned skin and small purple eyes adding to his imposing appearance while his dark brown hair was styled into a perm that a cross between an afro and a pompadour. Under his coat, he wore a white A-shirt, baggy black pants held up by a belt with the face of a Komainu on it, and white loafers.

Suddenly a booming shout drew everyone's attention.

"HEY, IT'S TWO MINUTES PASS EIGHT. YOU ARE LATE!"

"I AM SORRY!"

The one who had just loudly reprimanded the late arrival was a young man who was shorter than Mondo, but his strict and unrelenting adherence to the rules didn't diminish his disciplinary aura.

He acted more akin to a military drill sergeant thanks to his appearance and choice of attire. He possessed short spiky black hair and substantial matching eyebrows with intense red eyes. His school uniform was white, and it was actually styled after a Japanese Army Uniform with gold buttons. There was a red and gold medal on his chest and a red armband with the kanji meaning _Public Morals_ , and knee-high black lace-up boots.

"NO EXCUSE AND YOU BETTER MAKE SURE IT NEVER HAPPENS AGAIN!" Kiyotaka Ishimaru snapped causing the late arrival to tremble in fear.

Kiyotaka Ishimaru, unsurprisingly, due to his duties and success as a Hall Monitor was given the title of Ultimate Moral Compass.

The unfortunate late arrival to bear the fury of Kiyotaka's discipline was an overweight young man with black hair with a small pointed ahoge on top of his head. He wore a pair of black thick-rimmed glasses over his little black eyes, and his skin was slightly tanned. His clothes consisted of a white button-down dress shirt, an orange tie with blue arrow-like patterns on it, a pair of dark gray trousers, and white trainers. Lastly to complete his attire is that he wore a light grey, unbuttoned cardigan, and an orange backpack.

Hifumi Yamada was left shivering on the ground, and he had been given the title of the Ultimate Fanfic Creator.

 _I take that back, the one on the floor is the most pathetic of the bunch._ Byakuya thought to gaze at Hifumi with disgust in his eyes.

Among those not involved with the crowd was Kyoko Kirigiri wearing a purple jacket as she stood stoically in the corner of the gym keeping to herself with her arms folded. The last student was another female who wore a traditional Japanese school uniform with a long skirt compared to other girls and their own outfits. Her school uniform was purple with an orange bow on the front, and she wore brown loafers with white socks. Her long dark purple hair was styled into long twin braids with a small mole on the left side of her chin. She was a fair skinned young teenager of five feet and four inches with light purple eyes with round glasses worn over them.

The Ultimate Writing Prodigy, Toko Fukawa stood quietly in the corner had earned her fame for writing the number one bestselling novel 'So Lingers the Ocean' which became such a huge hit that won over many Britannians it propelled fishermen to the top of the hottest men polls.

The sound of a microphone being tapped echoed through the gym.

"Can I have your attention please?"

Standing behind a podium on the stage was a man in his late thirties with dark purple hair and light purple eyes resembling those of his daughter who was among the new students. His attire consisted of a black suit with a purple tie.

"As headmaster of the academy, I would like to welcome you all." Jin Kirigiri, the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy, greeted. "As new students of Hope's Peak Academy."

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater:**

Sailing the seas aboard a pirate ship with an appropriate flag on top waving in the wind with black and white sails, depicting Monokuma with a pair of crossbones under it. Standing behind the wheel was Monokuma wearing a tricorne as he directed the ship through the sea.

"You know back in the old days before we had electricity and technology; humanity was made of some leaner stuff."

In the distance, Monokuma began directing his ship towards a defenseless merchant ship.

"Now with all of these computers and television humans have gotten soft, which I suppose makes it easier for me to inflict humanity with despair since I have a lot of tools to work with." Monokuma mused as his ship pulled up alongside the merchant ship. "Then again maybe back then it was just as easy, and maybe it was quite simpler."

Monokuma began laughing before his ship opened fire on its helpless target with its canons.

* * *

A/N: Well this chapter became much longer than I was expecting, which was mostly due to the characters I had to introduce, the students of Class 78 including Lelouch and Suzaku who was a last minute addition thanks though Lloyd's connections and Euphy ultimately pushing him though.

Monokuma's introduction to Euphy might seem harmless, but you can imagine what might happen once Cornelia gets wind of it.

I should note that in the original games and anime, for those who haven't seen it, Suzaku had no chance against Monokuma since he could hold his own against some of Sakura's strength and skill as the Ultimate Martial Artist. The blow to the crouch might've been going a bit far, but it's just something I thought Junko would do given a chance.

In the next chapter, Cornelia shall make her appearance, and she'll have one hell of a mess to clean up while Lelouch is adapting to Hope's Peak Academy.

I have begun a new curiosity poll for me to gauge preferences for which Code Geass characters the readers of this story would like to survive. This is to help me measure that among my readers, so it helps me get a good idea.

Anyway, I hope to have the next chapter out in due time, but I am going to try to update one of my other stories first.

Thank you in advance for the reviews/feedback.


	13. Chapter 13 School Mode

A/N: as the title suggests it's a chapter almost dedicated to Lelouch interacting with his fellow students while he will meet a few for the first time.

It's the eve of Cornelia's arrival in Area 11, and Monokuma doesn't intend to let up. Of course, it's a question of what will happen once Cornelia begins taking a more active role in events.

I had a little trouble with events near the end of the chapter, but I think they turned out alright but that small number with a particular song from the anime had me a little concerned. It was meant as a call back to a specific event during the Despair Arc of the Danganronpa 3 anime but modified.

Anyway, thank you all for your reviews and feedback on the last chapter.

02/15/2018: edited and cleaned up.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their_ _mind._ _"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

 **School Mode**

Lelouch collapsed onto the track field in the back of Hope's Peak Academy. He was sweating profusely with his entire body lacking the energy to move. The former prince was dressed in gym clothes, which consisted of blue shorts and a white shirt. Lelouch was trying to grasp how he was roped into this as he typically avoided attending gym class, even during his time at Ashford Academy.

 _Damn you Junko!_

As Lelouch lay on the ground cursing his own misfortune, he recalled the events of the previous night where he, Junko, Mukuro all gathered at Lelouch's new apartment for a special get together. Lelouch and Junko shared a falsified story of how they escaped Shinjuku Ghetto, crediting their survival to Clovis calling in units that formed the encirclement creating a breach that allowed them to survive. The chaos caused by the resistance cell has also helped.

As for C.C, who was hiding in the second bedroom, Junko and Lelouch told Suzaku they lost track of the green haired girl during the chaos.

* * *

"Other than that the old survival gang, minus Nunnally, is back together," Junko exclaimed before drinking a soft drink.

"I glad you two made it, but I never would've expected we would attend the same school together," Suzaku noted.

The group was sitting in the living room of Lelouch's apartment which was spacious enough for twenty people with a black sofa, a forty inch television standing upon an entertainment center against the wall. The walls were white with polished wooden floors and surrounding a wooden black coffee table aside from the sofa facing it, and the television was a cushioned black chair, one just opposite of the other and one just next to the couch forming a slight semicircle. Lelouch sat in the chair to the left of the sofa facing the television while Suzaku sat opposite while Mukuro and Junko occupied the couch.

The apartment wasn't fully furnished yet, but it had all of the necessities.

"I know," Junko said in agreement, "what were the chances of that?"

"How did you get noticed for Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Knightmare Frame Pilot?" Lelouch asked although he knew how yet it was for the sake of appearances. "Usually they don't allow non-Britannians to pilot Knightmare Frames expect for testing."

"That's true, but in a way it is testing," Suzaku mused, "The problem was that the unit I am with now couldn't get their hands on a pilot."

"And this new machine you pilot is supposed to be a new model?" Mukuro inquired.

Suzaku nodded, "Yes, the Lancelot is the first seventh generation Knightmare Frame with combat capabilities exceeding all current Knightmares while doubling as a test bed for new technologies."

"I am shocked no one else had wanted to pilot a machine like that," Lelouch commented as he was genuinely surprised by that.

"I don't know each individual reason why potential pilots refused, but my superiors think it was because the new machine lacks an ejection block."

"That's it?" Junko said before muttering, "Cowards," under her breath.

Suzaku sighed, having heard that, but he didn't attempt to argue against it.

"I guess that worked out for you," Lelouch said. "Maybe we should get together at Ashford Academy so you can meet Nunnally. She'll be pleased to meet you."

"How about a surprise party?" Junko suggested, which Lelouch agreed to.

"Yes, we can surprise her with Suzaku."

"That sounds like an idea, let me know when you guys will have it."

Shortly after that Suzaku departed for the night and following his departure, an uneasy silence fell upon the room with Lelouch lost in deep thought until Junko interrupted him.

"So what are you going to do?"

Lelouch looked towards Junko, who merely possessed a passive expression upon her face, "You know he'll be a serious problem in the future? You remember how that machine of his picked apart those resistance fighters you had armed with those stolen machines."

"I haven't forgotten about that," Lelouch replied with his voice as cold as ice, "Cornelia is as typical as your normal Britannian is to the point that she will not use Suzaku because he is Japanese no matter how effective the Lancelot is. The only reason he'll remain its pilot because Suzaku's unit is under the authority of my older half-brother Schneizel and the Britannian Homeland, so Cornelia has no say over their choice of personnel."

Even though Suzaku couldn't tell them everything about the unit he belonged to Lelouch and Junko did learn that it was under Schneizel el Britannia's control and by extension the homeland which Cornelia, even as Viceroy would have little to no control over.

"Not to mention she's nothing like Clovis, although she is as Britannian as he was, Cornelia is no fool. For instance, she wouldn't set up someone as a scapegoat for murder, nor would she be quick to assume a non-Britannian was solely responsible for spying and sabotage efforts. She is more than aware of the kind of corruption and greed among the nobles, so she won't think twice about investigating anyone she feels is working against her."

"Basically what you are saying that it's more than likely that Cornelia will not only be cleaning up Area 11 of terrorism, but she would cleaning the government and military internally of any corruption."

Lelouch took a sip from his glass of ice water, "I would be shocked if she didn't, besides considering everything that has happened, I am certain she'll be going after anyone who has either sold weapons or information to terrorist groups or collaborated with them in any way."

"Of course I am sure as a princess competing for the throne. Cornelia has likely dealt with various individuals with ties to noble families and businesses that support other members of the royal family who wish to see her removed from the competition for the throne so their choice would have a better chance for the throne." Junko noted before adding, "I heard a few months ago that Alexander Krushevsky, the CEO of Krushevsky Arms was killed during a demonstration in Area 14, Papua New Guinea. The rebels that infiltrated the demonstration as it turns out were supplied weapons and intelligence by a rival corporation."

The former prince nodded, having read about that incident online recently. "Yes, and it's because of incidents like that is the reason Cornelia isn't afraid to point the finger at a fellow Britannian with evidence providing any kind of wrongdoing on his or her end."

"Her attitude towards non-Britannians is just like Clovis's attitude," Junko mused, "but she is just much more intelligent and competent enough to recognize when people from her own side might be trying to undermine her for their benefit."

"That's right," Lelouch said before glancing at Mukuro," Mukuro and I had talked about her at length because Fenrir had a run in with Cornelia before she left the group. She wasn't part of the operations Mukuro faced on the battlefield, but any information helps me when it comes time for me to face her."

"I remember that, and it was a good thing too since Fenrir was only recently wiped out by Cornelia before she came to Area 11."

Mukuro had heard the news about the group she had joined up to learn survival and combat skills leading to her being recognized as the Ultimate Soldier in Hope's Peak Academy Middle School division before she and Junko had left for Ashford Academy. She didn't have all of the details, but they were hired by the Middle Eastern Federation during the last days of the conflict. Unfortunately, all they did was delay the inevitable, and in the end, Fenrir was wiped out, but not before taking a lot of Britannian soldiers including a good portion of Cornelia's troops with them.

"However, that doesn't solve our most immediate problem. What will you do about Suzaku, because I can't imagine your older half-brother will allow Lancelot and its pilot to be sidelined forever?"

Lelouch wanted that to happen ideally, but he was deluding himself to the cold truth that he and Suzaku would face one another on the battlefield as enemies. He knew Cornelia would keep him out the battlefield out of prejudice and pride, but in the back of his mind, he knew the chances of him entering the battlefield was possible either through circumstances that might make it necessary. It was likely to happen with Suzaku used as a desperate distraction or should Cornelia be in danger then Euphemia could order his deployment to protect her.

Those were only a few of the possibilities that could happen that would force a confrontation between them.

"No matter how you look at it you and Suzaku will be enemies on the battlefield, it's unavoidable," Junko said knowing what Lelouch was thinking about. "It's only a question of when and how."

"I concur with her," C.C. said making her presence known after emerging from the second bedroom. "You need to decide on how to best deal with him."

Lelouch closed his eyes, although Suzaku wasn't an immediate problem, he knew that in the future a clash between his troops and Suzaku was inevitable. Complicating matters was the fact that Suzaku's skills combined with the machine he piloted made him nearly unstoppable on the battlefield if their last confrontation didn't drive that point home.

"You could use your power on him to make him join you?" C.C. suggested with a cold tone in her voice.

Junko flashed a toothy smile that was full of approval. "I like that!"

Even so Lelouch was adamant to avoid resorting to such a solution against Suzaku, but Lelouch knew something would need to be done.

* * *

Returning to the present Lelouch collected himself, but no matter what his body wasn't responding as all of his limited strength was already spent. Sakura was in the lead, having taken it from Sayaka despite having an early advantage, followed by Makoto and Leon with Hifumi trailing behind them. Everyone else was on the sidelines watching the others run, Lelouch lay motionless on the ground until he could hear footsteps approaching him. The former prince managed the strength to turn allowing him to see who had hurried to his side.

Seiko Kimura knelt down next to him, tilting his head to look up at the Ultimate Pharmacist.

"Who are you?" Lelouch said, grateful that his ability to speak wasn't impaired by his exhausted state.

"My name is Seiko," Seiko replied before pulling out a bottle labeled as "Profligate" which struck Lelouch as odd, but he couldn't protest due to a lack of strength while assured she wasn't going to poison him in public. "This should help your exhaustion."

She slipped Lelouch the medicine as she poured the light pink liquid into his mouth before he swallowed it. In mere moments Lelouch a fresh rush of energy course, though his being as his exhaustion melted away. He felt a pleasant sense of renewal that allowed Lelouch to stand up with Seiko offering a hand. The former prince was amazed at the effectiveness of the medicine she gave him as Lelouch felt energized.

"That was amazing," Lelouch said, unable to pick a more suitable compliment, "did you make that?"

Seiko nodded, "it's a medication designed to renew the user and cure all fatigue. I used a combination of herbs and chemicals create it with no ill side effects."

"I see," Lelouch said clearly impressed, although he was curious as to how she fashioned it, he knew he wouldn't be able to grasp the science behind it even with his own formidable intellect.

"Having trouble with Physical Education?"

"I think what you saw is rather self-explanatory," Lelouch replied jokingly to hide the annoyance of his body's own lack of endurance.

Seiko reached into the duffle bag she was carrying to bring out another bottle labeled "Reanimator" leaving Lelouch wondering what it's capable of.

 _She has an intriguing choice_ _of labeling._

"This might help." Seiko offered before explaining, "I should warn you this is quite potent."

"Really," Lelouch said before opening the bottle to gaze at the green liquid inside. "Potent huh."

"Yes, so one teaspoon should be," Seiko said as she continued to explain as she tried to bring out a disposable teaspoon, but panicked when she saw Lelouch drink the contents of the cylinder-shaped bottle. "WAIT, YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO DRINK IT ALL!"

"Huh?!"

At that moment Lelouch felt a powerful surge of energy explode throughout his entire body as his thin limbs began bulking up with solid muscle as did the rest of his body. Never in his life had Lelouch experienced such an intoxicating rush of power as he felt a strength he never had before. Seiko was stunned over the sudden transformation Lelouch underwent, but more so when a smirking Lelouch decided to put his enhanced body to the test by running to catch up with his classmates.

In an almost comical fashion, Lelouch took off in what could be called a mind-blowing burst of what could only be described as superhuman speed, leaving a cloud of dust in his wake. Makoto, Sayaka, Leon, Hifumi, and Sakura especially were stunned by Lelouch suddenly overtaking them. Junko, Mukuro, and Suzaku were left not only speechless by the display, but they were slacked-jawed as well.

"What the fuck happened?!" A flabbergasted Junko demanded.

"That's not even possible?" Suzaku muttered as he was in complete shock as he was convinced this was some kind of dream or Lelouch has hired a bodybuilder to stand in for him.

Mukuro only stood there in stunned silence.

Even so, the unbelievable scene continued to unfold before them and the rest of the stunned members of the 78th class. The only one Lelouch couldn't get passed was Sakura, who began putting forth all of her strength to push ahead of Lelouch and stay in the lead.

After a problematic endurance race, Lelouch finished in second just barely tailing behind Sakura.

Sayaka, Makoto, and others eventually crossed the finish line with Hifumi being last.

Seiko hurried to Lelouch, but strangely his muscles were beginning to shrink and return to normal. The former prince was understandably disappointed, but he wasn't surprised as he suspected his superhuman strength and speed he gained would be temporary. It was disappointing just the same, but possessing it for the short time he did was terrific.

A part of him wanted to experience it again.

 _That would be a bad idea since you might become addicted,_ Lelouch internally cautioned himself.

He had no intention of becoming dependent on such concoctions, but Lelouch recognized that someone of Seiko's talents could prove to be invaluable because he was sure the medicine she could produce would benefit his rebellion and even make the offer of humanitarian aid more possible thus building a stronger rapport with the people increasing support. Of course, Lelouch was also considering the military benefits her concoctions could be of considerable use.

Her recruitment to the rebellion he sought to build would be immensely beneficial overall.

 _I should get close to her and observe her._ Lelouch thought, but he knew he would need to be careful.

He could force her to join with Geass, but that would potentially backfire on him. Lelouch had no intention of using his Geass as a tool of recruitment in any event, but still, Seiko was definitely someone who would make an invaluable recruit to bring to his side.

"What did you give him?!" Junko inquired.

"Another recovery agent like the first one I gave him, but it had the side effect of enhancing the user's physical abilities for a short time," Seiko explained with a matter of fact of tone.

"Talk about potent." Makoto managed in-between breaths, but at the same time was still stunned from Lelouch's comeback during that race. "I never would've thought anyone could create something like that."

"That is why she is called the Ultimate Pharmacist." Byakuya pointed out. "I had heard about some of the various remedies and concoctions she produced, but was the first time I saw one of them in use."

This only piqued Makoto's interest, because now he was curious about Seiko's other creations.

"Considering the effect it had on someone like Lelouch I believe it's proof enough of her skills." Sakura complimented.

"I agree," Lelouch said as Seiko found herself to be very popular suddenly.

* * *

Around the same time, Euphemia li Britannia was acting officially as the newly appointed Sub-Viceroy of Area 11, which as part of new duties at the recommendation of her older half-brother, Schneizel el Britannia, she would act as the liaison between Area 11's government and Hope's Peak Academy. Euphy would serve as a go-between the school administrators and government for the exchange and relay of information and if needed provide her approval as a member of the royal family should a situation arise that would require it.

This included emergencies naturally.

Jin was leading a tour around the school alongside the company of two other men. The older of the two was in his late sixties with tanned skin and a sullen face with a stooped appearance, making him appear shorter than most standing at four feet and seven inches. His silver hair that has paled in his old age was upset, and he wore a pair of glasses over his amber eyes. He possessed a mustache and beard, dressed in an olive green suit with a red tie, black vest, a white dress shirt with black pants and shoes.

His name was Kazuo Tengan, formerly the headmaster of Hope's Peak Academy before he retired, becoming the Chairman of the Future Foundation while acting as an intermediary for the Steeling Committee which held influence and control of the two.

Accompanying Euphy was the tallest of the group standing over six feet tall with a large and muscular frame that was furthered by his purple colored military uniform bearing the rank of general upon his broad shoulders. He had tanned skin and light brown hair with a diagonal scar running across his face with blue eyes.

"Is this the psychology lab?" General Andreas Darlton inquired as the group entered a spacious room that appeared to be a laboratory stocked with customized computers and equipment you wouldn't expect to see in a lab decided to psychology and neuroscience, but this room was where one of the Academy's most ambitious projects was under development.

"Yes and this is the system core of the Neo World Program." Jin Kirigiri answered before showing the group a collection of computers, each standing a towering ten-feet tall, with several monitors attached to it, but the rest of the machine was designed for one of the most advanced computers in the world.

"You mean the Psychotherapeutic Communication Simulator? My brother, Prince Schneizel mentioned it to me." Euphy said with an expression of curiosity on her face, although she couldn't grasp the technical details she nevertheless knew the machine was created using revolutionary new developments in psychotherapy technology and administrative software thanks to the contributions of the Ultimate Programmer, Ultimate Neurologist, and the Ultimate Therapist.

"Once the technology has been perfected and tested this will offer the world new ways for people to recover from the most extreme and traumatic experiences," Kazuo explained.

"The Neo World Program works by the subject resting in one of these pods," Jin explained as he walked around a large capsule that was large enough for one person to lie down inside. "Inside those devices will attach to the subject's cranium synchronizing the brain to completely immerse the subject within a synthetic virtual world that can be shaped to whatever to suit the subject's needs in a world the user would be convinced is as real as the world we live in."

"So the brain is tricked into thinking its real," Euphy asked, prompting Jin to nod in confirmation.

"This is designed to be the ultimate reality, the perfect place to create new and more pleasant memories to replace traumatic and bad memories with."

"I assume it hasn't been released to the public because it's too real?" Dalton inquired.

Kazuo sighed before adjusting his glasses, "yes, because we want to create safeguards because of that. If something such as death happened to a user within the program, then their brain will be convinced he or she is dead, so their mind would cease functioning entering a catatonic state which they'll be unlikely to wake from."

"Oh my," Euphy said, feeling worried.

A new voice suddenly joined the conversation.

"All the more reason the usage of this system must be handled with the utmost care. Any misuse would have disastrous consequences."

Everyone turned their heads towards the voice to see a young woman older than Euphy by one or two years rolling towards them within an electric wheelchair that had two computer monitors. A larger one was mounted in front of the young woman while the second, a smaller monitor was behind it, but positioned in front of her above the keyboard.

Had she been able to stand she would've stood at five feet tall. She had a slightly pale complexion with shoulder length blue hair and matching eyes.

Like all other female students, she wore the same uniform as female students except for the addition of a red scarf around her neck, and she wore black socks with a pair of white loafers.

"This is Miaya Gekkogahara, the Ultimate Therapist," Jin said providing an introduction.

"And this is my avatar Magical Girl Miracle Usami!"

The computer screen displayed a cartoon-style rabbit with matching feathered wings and upright ears with a pink bow. Miaya was dressed in a white and pink skirt, a pink bib and a gold necklace. Then to complete her magical girl themed appearance, she carried a pink staff, which is topped by an upside-down and right-side-up golden heart with a red gem in the center of it, framed by a pair of small white wings.

"How cute," Euphy complimented.

"Thank you!" Usami replied in Miaya's place, but the fact Usami spoke for Miaya made it clear that the girl was mute.

Dalton came to the same conclusion as well, but neither Euphy nor he thought to discuss it out of consideration for Miaya.

* * *

As Euphy and Miaya began discussing the Neo World Program in more detail, Lelouch was on his way to the classroom where Class-78B could be found. According to Junko, it's the class where one of Junko's friends Tsumugi Shirogane, the Ultimate Cosplayer could be found.

Junko had told her that Tsumugi was formerly part of the middle school division of Hope's Peak Academy who gained entrance as the Ultimate Cosplayer for her near perfect recreations of outfits of fictional characters, but she also had praise for being able to imitate those characters flawlessly down to their style of talking and mannerisms.

Now that Lelouch thought it, he recognized the name as the one whom Milly had obtained her cosplay outfits from.

Lelouch cautiously opened the door, but someone aware of his presence on the other side opened the door.

"May I help you?"

The woman before him was only one inch shorter than he, but she carried herself with a serious and a strict sense of professionalism while at the same time maintaining a refined and formal air about her.

She seemed to be a thin young woman the same age as Lelouch, but unlike the latter, she was apparently much more athletically capable than he was. Her attire was odd for a high school student, but it likely fit more of her Ultimate talent. She possesses dull silver hair and green eyes with a slightly pale skin complexion. Her outfit was that of a maid consisting of a black button up pinafore with a spider web motif on the right-hand side. Under that, she wore a white dress with a black collar and a purple tie. The rest of her outfit consists of a black version of the headband worn by Sayoko, matching gloves with silver rings attached to them, black tights and black shoes with white laces.

"I am Lelouch Lamperouge of Class-78A. I have an appointment with Miss Shirogane. I was instructed to meet her here." Lelouch said politely introducing himself.

"I see," the young woman replied, "I am Kirumi Tojo the Ultimate Maid, pleased to make your acquaintance."

"The Ultimate Strategist, likewise." Lelouch offered politely.

"Ah, praise to Atua!"

Lelouch turned his head to the source to spot a young woman who wasn't Japanese or Britannian, but rather a Pacific Islander if her appearance and attire was any indication. Furthermore, the name of the deity was familiar.

"And you are?" Lelouch asked as he approached the desk where the woman in question was sitting crisscrossed on her chair in what seemed to be a meditative pose.

"Yah-hah!" The girl laughed. "How are ya? My name is Angie Yonaga! I'm the Ultimate Artist!"

The seventeen-year-old Pacific Islander possesses almond skin and round, pale blue eyes. Her hair is a light platinum blonde that looks white and is tied into two wavy ponytails by small, thin blue hair bands. She appears to have three piercings around her belly button. Her attire consists mainly of a white, frilly bikini top and a plain blue skirt with frills sewn to the bottom of it. Around her was a pink utility belt, which holds her carving tools alongside pink pouches holding additional tools presumably. Angie was also wearing a yellow smock which reaches below her knees and leaves her wrists exposed. Her frock has black symbols on her shoulders. Her footwear was simple white slip-on with dark soles. Lastly, she wore a simple, beaded necklace with a seashell in the middle of it.

"Atua," Lelouch said, trying to think where he heard that before realization dawned on him, "I remember now, Atua is the island god of Waponi Woo."

"You correct," Angie replied. "I didn't expect many would be familiar with the island of my birth, especially this far from home."

"It was something I had to research in preparation for a topic island-themed party the Student Council President at my old school wanted to do." Lelouch was explained, but he left out how Milly tried to twist more towards a more risqué party using some claim it was part of the island's tradition when some themes from Waponi Woo ceremonies were being introduced into the party.

 _At least I have someone from the island to ask if I somehow get pulled into another_ _island-themed_ _party._

Waponi Woo was part of the Britannian Empire, but due to the island's small size and lack of strategic importance, its inhabitants have been left to their own devices. Its people were still regarded as Honorary Britannians and Numbers, but they were deemed sevens because they put under the justification of Area 7 (Hawaii) and its Viceroy.

There was one thing Waponi Woo had, and it was the world's most unusual plants. Some were quite exotic, but others were dangerous which fetched a high price on an international market. So marketing began where the people of Waponi Woo revealed imported goods and more in exchange for plants and some other exotic items such as pearls and intriguing pieces of art and artifacts found on the island allowing the island and its people to flourish.

Seemingly reading his mind Angie inquired, "Did she try to turn the party into something that was uncomfortable for you claiming it was part of the traditions of my island?"

Lelouch was surprised but wondered if others had probably ended up in a similar situation as him. He couldn't find much when he tried to research the island and its culture when Lelouch searched online, but he had heard claims about its people having very odd and some unsettling customs.

He found it odd there was no complete information, which at the time Lelouch assumed was due to Britannians who omitted the info out of some kind of racist spite.

Of course, this brought up the question how Angie was admitted to Hope's Peak Academy given she lived on an island and not Area 11.

Before the conversation between Angie and Lelouch could progress further, Tsumugi approached the two. "Thank you for coming to see me, Lelouch."

"You must be Miss Shirogane?"

"Please no need to be formal with me. You can call me Tsumugi, I don't mind."

"Very well, Tsumugi," Lelouch said, but he was suddenly interrupted.

"Hey, who the fuck is this guy?!"

Entering the classroom was a young woman standing two inches shorter than Lelouch. She possessed a slightly pale skin complexion with waist length blonde hair, topped with two ahoges, and bluish-grey eyes with her irises had an unusual ragged pattern around her pupils. She wore a pair of brown goggles on top of her head and a pink sailor uniform with a matching skirt. The rest of her attire consists of black fingerless gloves and matching black boots with gold buttons and buckles on them. Oddly she had black straps connected by gold rings on his legs and clothes attached to her white socks. Lastly, she wore a black choker, and two smaller black collars, around her neck.

"Miu it is rude to suddenly walk in and demand an introduction when you haven't offered one." Kirumi scolded.

"Ah fucking can it, people should know who I am," Miu replied giving Kirumi the middle finger.

"Actually I don't!" Lelouch replied coldly.

"WHAT THE FUCK!?" Miu shouted, both angry and dismayed to hear that. "Then remember this shithead!"

Miu struck a dramatic pose before a pair of retractable mechanical arms emerged from the backpack she was wearing.

"I'm the gorgeous girl genius whose good looks and golden brain will go down in history! I'm the one, the only, the legendary Ultimate Inventor herself," Miu declared proudly before finishing. "Miu Iruma!"

Lelouch was distinctly unimpressed, which was partly due to her attitude souring his opinion of her.

 _Still,_ _haven't heard of you._ Lelouch thought while resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

"So what have you invented?"

"I am working on inventions where you can read and eat while you are sleeping. I mean just think about how much time is wasted on sleeping."

Lelouch wasn't sure how to respond to that one, but thankfully Tsumugi interviewed on his behalf.

"Let's go Lelouch, the commission I have for you is done."

"HEY," Miu roared in anger, "Don't ignore me!"

Tsumugi and Lelouch ignored her as the two left the classroom leaving behind a furious Miu, but became quickly depressed.

"Uh please come back." The blonde haired inventor replied meekly.

Kirumi merely sighed.

* * *

In one of the nearby rooms, which Lelouch assumed was likely a crafts room dedicated to sewing and tailoring since there were wall cabinets filled with a wide selection of cloth and different materials. Workstations with a sewing machine and drawers filled with needles and different threads and other accessories. There was an area with mirrors with various types of mannequins and a changing room.

It was quite the set up as the equipment and materials were likely the best in the market. At least that's what Lelouch assumed based on the quality of the tools and materials he had seen available for the other students.

After searching through a cabinet, Tsumugi gave Lelouch a package sealed within a cardboard box.

"Here is what Junko told me you wanted."

"Thank you."

Lelouch accepted the package.

"I wish you've done a cosplay commission instead," Tsumugi notes sadly, but her expression brightened before adding. "Then again, you know who could be the star of his anime someday. Such an anime would be the kind of hit to spawn sequels, light novels, and some OVAs."

Lelouch wasn't sure how to respond to that, but he was wondering if he should place a Geass on her as a precaution. It was fortunate that there was no one nearby.

The former prince carefully considered his next words carefully. "I appreciate the enthusiasm, but we probably shouldn't mention that here."

"That's a good point about that. Sorry, I let my hobbies slip into my conversations."

"It is fine, but we should be more careful."

"Fair enough," Tsumugi offered before glancing around the room. She moved closer to Lelouch before asking him. "So I heard Mukuro needs some for the cosplay party right?"

Lelouch knew what she was talking about, although he had reservations about the idea of having Tsumugi craft a costume to hide Mukuro's true identity. Of course, Lelouch knew this outfit, unlike his Zero attire, would need to double as a function combat dress uniform to compliment her skills.

"I've made cosplay for Mukuro before, so I got her measurements."

"That's convenient," Lelouch noted warily, although he discovered recently from Junko that most of the cosplay outfits the Student Council had used came from Tsumugi through Junko's connections to the Ultimate Cosplayer. This made him feel a little more at ease, but he was hesitant to involve Tsumugi.

"If you are worried that my involvement might cause problems, then don't worry because I have done some secret orders for people like Junko, so your privacy is in good hands."

"I suppose," Lelouch said, seemingly not convinced, "but some materials would best be used and trying to obtain them might draw some attention."

"That is true."

"So if I acquire them, then would it be a problem?"

Tsumugi took a moment to complete that as she rested one index finger on her chin.

"No, it wouldn't, and I have everything else I need back at my own workshop at home. Besides," Tsumugi began blushing as her eyes began sparking. "What I create will be something original that will be part of the anime because of your actions."

Lelouch only sighed internally, but if Tsumugi were as good as Junko claimed then, he'd trust her judgment.

* * *

Later that night Lelouch was dressed in the government official cosplay Tsumugi had provided the former prince with. It went along with the fake papers, and Lelouch had prepared beforehand by convincing the right people. The bodysuit he wore gave him a substantial set frame coupled with the mask he wore gave him a more stern and ridged appearance with a bald head and a brown goatee. Lelouch worn colored contacts to mask his eye color, but had tested them to ensure his Geass power would not be impeded by them.

He wore a black business suit with a matching briefcase in one hand.

 _This feels a bit uncomfortable._

"Lelouch, can you hear me?" Mukuro asked through a concealed earpiece in his right ear, which his mask helped hide even further.

"Loud and clear," Lelouch replied using one hand to adjust his tie.

Mukuro was sitting inside a blue four-door rental car. It sat parked down the street while Mukuro wore a blonde wig with a pink sweater and glasses to disguise her appearance.

"As planned I'll watch the front and keep you informed if anyone of interest enters."

 _Or a potential threat..._

"If everything goes well, I should be out fairly soon."

"Be careful."

Lelouch walked up the steps as he entered the Britannian Justice Department where Lelouch believe he would find evidence of a cover-up. Specifically, he was seeking the files on Hajime Hinata, because following Suzaku's rescue the former prince did some research by putting critical members of the local police department under his Geass.

Lelouch discovered that the Area 11 division of the Imperial Bureau of Investigation had taken over the case, which was extremely odd.

What had narrowed down his search to Hajime Hinata were the unusual circumstances surrounding his being expelled, which was only compounded by the fact his tuition was being covered by the school itself. His Geass made collecting the right information from the right people remarkably easy.

The fact his file had been sealed away within Hope's Peak Academy instead of the record room within the Reserve Course Building was another red flag, although he was mindful to keep a low profile while investigating. His Geass helped him get much further in his investigation that he couldn't have pulled off through ordinary means, but he had been mindful every step of the way not to be careless.

Then finally Lelouch had discovered that after Hajime vanished, his mother and father were victims of a home invasion that claimed their lives.

 _They were killed to silence them._

Entering the building Lelouch approached the receptionist at the desk.

"Can I help you?"

Lelouch activated his Geass in preparation for the first of many times to come this evening.

"Yes, you can..."

* * *

Lelouch wasn't the only busy that evening because later that night Cornelia would arrive from the newly established Area 18 which would close whatever window of opportunity he had because the new Viceroy would begin restructuring the colonial government. Junko via Monokuma, as she sat behind his controls in the secret control room, was going to conduct a special event to welcome Cornelia. As much as she wasn't interested in anything stiff or psychotic she wanted to remind Area 11 that even with a new Viceroy nothing would change.

She also wanted to greet Cornelia differently at the same time.

Inside a glamorous ballroom, a private party was being held by a small group of Britannian nobles. They weren't just any members of the nobility living in Area 11, but in reality, they were Area 11's most influential men and women who sat in the highest seats of power just below the Viceroy. They all came from wealthy families and gained their positions through some ways using blood relations and bribes. They were in the luxurious mansion of one of their celebrating the newly arrived Viceroy feeling unusually confident that their places will be safe regardless of whatever changes she sought to implement.

"What's this?!"

One of the maids of the mansion rolled a massive and towering layered cake with white frosting and lined with pink frosting. The cake itself was five feet tall needing a pushcart to move it into the center of the ballroom.

"I know we this is a party Lord Clarence but isn't this is a little much."

The well dressed and middle-aged Lord Clarence expressed a sense of confusion at the cake's appearance.

"I didn't order a cake to be made."

Suddenly the top of the cake revealed to be a false top, exploded into a shower of black and white confetti. Followed by the explosion; Monokuma emerged from the top of the cake to the collective horror of the party goers.

"Whiter than fresh snow and blacker than the darkest night it's me, Monokuma!" The two-tone bear announced dramatically to the small stunned crowd. Monokuma looked to his crowd seemingly confused by their silent and frozen, horrified expressions. "Oh have your outlooks in life changed because of my cuteness?"

Monokuma became playfully flustered.

"Your bodies can't live without it?"

"RUN!"

The terrified parting nobles made their way towards the double door exit of the large circular room, but their escape was blocked by members of Ultimate Despair armed with assault rifles, the maid was counted among them, blocking every exit.

"Don't run," Monokuma said with a cheerful smile. "I just want to play a game."

* * *

Sometime later that same evening Lelouch and Mukuro had both returned to the apartment together after delivering the rental car from where they got it from. After Lelouch had covered up their purchase and usage of the vehicle, the two entered the safety of Lelouch's apartment. Once inside, the door locked behind them, Lelouch retrieved a soft drink from the kitchen before sitting on the sofa.

Mukuro sat in the chair near him.

"Do you have all of it then?"

"Yes, and it confirms the cover-up and who ordered the shutdown of related investigations. With everything else I got it's more than enough to unleash a scandal that would destroy the Steeling Committee especially if I were to expose it." Lelouch explained as the primary objective of his infiltration was to collect documents and anything related to Hajime Hinata's disappearance along with anything tied to the cover-up that followed. If needed Lelouch would have enough for blackmailing the school and the Future Foundation if he needed it.

If he wanted to expose it, then he had plenty of evidence at his disposal to use, which not only prove the human experiments Hope's Peak Academy was secretly carrying out it would expose the Area 11 government itself having been involved.

Lelouch grinned maliciously as there were many options open to what he had now, but before he could do anything with it, he needed to track down Hajime himself. If he exposed it now, he'd likely vanish, and any chance of tracking him down would slip away.

 _I am just grateful I managed to get all of this before Cornelia arrived._

"Then Cornelia will be busy restructuring the government?"

"I doubt the military will be the only part in Area 11 she'll be restructuring. Of course given their blunders recently, especially in Shinjuku Ghetto, she will be quite harsh upon the military and those in the highest ranks. Given recent events involving Monokuma, it's clear there are informants and spies within other branches of the government that Cornelia will likely want to clear out. Considering everything I have heard about her I would've done the same thing myself."

Lelouch was hoping that would be the case, and if the internal corruption were even worse than he had suspected, then that would work in his favor.

Regardless Lelouch couldn't afford to slow down because as Zero he needed followers now, especially for what lay ahead.

At that moment realization of Lelouch's secondary objective dawned on Mukuro.

"Information on Hajime wasn't your only objective was it?"

"Yes, because my goal was to determine to what extent Cornelia would investigate the Area 11 command structures within both the military and government posts."

"I see, so I assumed you confronted it?"

"Yes," Lelouch replied before taking a slip from his soft drink. "I couldn't determine the full extent, but apparently Cornelia had requested that agents from the OSI and other intelligent agencies be dispatched to Area 11 to conduct a large-scale internal investigation before she arrived."

"If she has the Office of Secret Intelligence involved, then she isn't just looking at people within the highest positions of power," Mukuro said as this confirmed one of the first things Cornelia would do upon her arrival.

"As I said I knew Cornelia intended to clean house once she arrived. She knows that during events such as Clovis's murder and Monokuma's recent Killing Game along with a long list of blunders that the government and those in charge have proven inept." Lelouch explained before taking another sip. "If she wants to wipe out groups like Ultimate Despair then it's critical that she clean out those incapable of fulfilling the duty of their position, and any traitors too. She can only accomplish so much with her own soldiers, so having a more restructured government led by more capable leaders will a vital key to her success."

"It's a question of how long such an undertaking would take?"

"Exactly, and I am sure there will be attempts from those who don't want to lose the high positions they earned through questionable means. So they will try to hinder Cornelia's efforts. The best case scenario for me is this drags on for months, but I should act under the assumption that Cornelia will accomplish this sooner than later." Lelouch took another slip, but this time he drank whatever was left of his drink. "Not to mention I doubt she'll be idle waiting for those results, so she'll begin systematically wiping out any resistance groups she finds."

"You sound as if time is against you."

"It is," the former prince answered, "which is why I must group from one man with a mask to one with followers behind him. Otherwise the opportunities I would've had to undermine and bring Cornelia down will dwindle."

Besides that Lelouch used the opportunity to acquire whatever information he thought could be useful, but he was mindful to Geass the right people into not only helping him gain the knowledge he wanted. He had them in conjunction with their orders to erase all evidence of his presence there along with forgetting they saw him.

* * *

Around the same time at a unique hanger within the Viceroy's Palace the transport plane carrying Princess Cornelia li Britannia, the newly appointed Viceroy of Area 11. Unlike the more compassionate and lady-like demeanor of Euphy, who was also present wearing an elegant pink and white gown while a group of other soldiers and government officials were behind her to greet the new Viceroy, Cornelia was her complete opposite.

Being eleven years older than she was wasn't the only difference between her and her elder sister the newly appointed Viceroy. Befitting her title as the Goddess of Victory, Cornelia radiated a disciplined and ruthless aura while her militarist attire consisting of a purple uniform trimmed with gold and white possessing a white cravat completed the image. She wore a white cape with an oddly designed high collar. She had shoulder length magenta hair with matching lipstick and lavender purple eyes.

Cornelia approached her sister with a stern expression.

"I heard what you did, Euphemia. You shouldn't be so reckless. I am glad that thing didn't harm you, but you really shouldn't have been without a proper escort." Cornelia said lightly scolding her sister, but she was thankful nothing had befallen her. This wasn't helped by knowledge of Monokuma's reputation which had nearly led to Cornelia losing all composure when she had first heard about it.

"I know," Euphy said with a sigh, "forgive me, sister."

"You will address me as Viceroy here, Sub-Viceroy Euphemia," Cornelia said interrupting her younger sibling. "Because we're sisters, we need to follow a stricter protocol."

Euphy was caught off guard but recognized there was no ill intent and it was merely her sister encouraging her to adopt a stricter work ethic.

"Yes, I understand."

Cornelia turned her attention to a minister who seemed nervous about something, which was likely caused by whatever the soldier standing behind him had whispered into his ear. The minister was a man in his fifties with graying hair and a mustache wearing a formal blue suit.

"What happened!?"

"He struck again."

"Who?"

* * *

As typical of the sadistic two-tone bear, his recent actions were being broadcast across Area 11. This time Monokuma could seem atop of the cake had made a dramatic entrance through with the highest ranked leaders of Area 11's government trapped in a ballroom with the infamous Monokuma.

"So we're going to do a special event to welcome Area 11's new Viceroy by having you all kill each other," Monokuma announced in a very cheery voice.

Various voices of disbelief and fear erupted within the room drowning one another out, but there was little need to guess what their reactions were.

A member of Ultimate Despair dressed in the traditional suit of the organization rolled out a cart to the opposite side of the room. It had a machine gun, a sword, a chainsaw, a crowbar, a combat knife, a spear, a shovel, a taser and a handgun with lastly a frying pan.

"On that cart are some party favors I have prepared for you," Monokuma said pointing to the cart. "Be sure to grab one because if you don't get a weapon, then it sucks to be you."

Monokuma began laughing, adding to the tension and fear blanketing the room.

"The last one standing gets to live."

"You can't be serious!?"

Monokuma was instantly annoyed before using a paw to rub his forehead.

"Why do people say that? When I say kill until there is one left, then that is exactly what it means."

The two-tone bear leaped off from the cake before happily skipping away towards the exit of the ballroom. As Monokuma did so the rest of the cake split open, revealing a giant bomb had been hidden within it.

"Naturally there is a time limit, but if that's not enough to motivate you, then I can some very amusing bits of information about all of you. Like I know someone among you sold a daughter you had with a mistress to a brothel." Monokuma chimed almost dismissively before his tone darkened before saying. "Then one of you sold supplies and food for relief aid on the black market, but some of you sold information and decommissioned weapons on the black market as well. I can't imagine your new boss would like that last one."

Everyone was silent, but their fear was evident upon their faces.

"Do you know what makes a human being decent?" Monokuma asked standing at the door. "Fear. And therein lays the problem. None of you have anything left to fear anymore. You rest comfortably in seats of inscrutable power, safe from everyone below you. So whatever belief of invincibility you had is out the window now. If you want to live with your secrets, save then be the last one standing otherwise you will all get the ax, and I'll expose you."

With those words a massive blast door, installed by the mansion's owner for protection, slammed shut, followed by massively armored plates sliding over the windows sealing the group of nobles inside.

"You can begin now, and here is some music by yours truly," Monokuma said through a hidden speaker while security cameras installed by the owner enabled the bear and anyone to watch what happened in the sealed room.

A moment later music with a strange, but unsettling, cheerfulness of the music began playing. A chorus of "come on" with an added "what's wrong?" sung by Monokuma could be heard before a female vocalist began to sing.

"This is a pure, just, and beautiful world."

Suddenly one of the female nobles made a mad dash for the table filled with weapons, but she was quickly intercepted. As the other nobles were quick to join in restraining her. Another used the chance to slip away to grab a weapon from the table.

"Where everyone strives to be right." The vocalist sang before another chorus of "come on" was heard.

Using the machine gun the middle-aged noble opened fire, but before pulling the trigger, he was observed by another noble whose warning allowed the others a chance to dive for cover as gunfire ripped through the room.

"But we play hide-and-seek with our feelings." The vocalist sang before adding. "Though it's only too easy to see through it all."

The female noble, plus one other was gunned down, but the one armed with the machine was careless having emptied the entire magazine. Now defenseless another seized a weapon, a sword, to deliver swift retaliation.

In the enduring conflict between the two, the remaining nobles began to pick up weapons.

"Our hearts are racing in excitement." The singer said. "Can we just do whatever we want? Oblivious, we take the bait."

In seconds a bloodbath erupted as the nobles who made up the Ruling Council of Area 11 turned on another.

"There we go." The vocalist sang. "And mess everything up, upupupu."

"What's wrong," came the chorus.

The next line of the verse was sung just as one of the desperate nobles cut down another co-worker using a chainsaw.

"We calmly devour each other."

"Extreme is the Monokuma Song," the vocalist sang, followed by another chorus of "come on" before the vocalist sang another verse of the song. "We snap at anyone and everyone!"

Another member of the nobility fell with a blow to the side of the head with a shovel before bashing his victim repeatedly unless he was dead.

"There we go." Monokuma sang as the song neared its end.

"And roar all over the place, ahaha." The female singer said before Monokuma added: "what's wrong."

Only a few victims remained, but song neared its end just before one of the three survivors was killed by a chainsaw-wielding noble.

"We devour each other with a smile on our face."

"Come on!" Monokuma sang before the female singer sang the last line of the song.

"Hateful yet adorable is the Monokuma Song."

"What's wrong?" Monokuma sang before the song ended after a chorus of "Come on!?"

After the song wrapped up one noble was left standing amongst the bodies of those he sat with the council. He was laughing maniacally as he had apparently lost his sanity. He held the shovel and a combat knife in one hand while covered in blood.

The scene shifted to Monokuma with a still shot of the surviving noble.

"Upupupu," Monokuma laughed before explaining. "It doesn't matter if you are a person with strong morals or no morals at all. You are only whatever the world allows regardless if you are good or not with the experience of that world-shaping you."

Suddenly Monokuma's red eye flashed with a malevolent light.

"But when the chips are down people will turn on one another." Monokuma explained in a dark tone. "No different when animals want to survive, so when you want to survive you'll forget whatever morals or attachments to people to save yourself. Thus, you'll taste the despair of the cruel reality of the world. I am just ahead of the curve is all, and I'll prove my point to all of you soon enough…especially you Princess Euphemia. You can't change Britannia from within with idealism alone because those who benefited from the system you want to change will see a dagger will be found in your back."

With a final laugh, the broadcast ended.

* * *

Lelouch sat at the blank television screen, thinking and calculating, at what had just happened. He knew with the ruining council of Area 11 wiped out Cornelia would need to find replacements. This would work in his favor of slowing the famed Goddess of Victory down even if it was a minor inconvenience.

However...

"This is going to be a problem. Cornelia will go after Zero first."

"Huh."

"Ultimate Despair would be risky to challenge for Cornelia given their history and the fact no one really knows what the full extent of their resources are," Lelouch explained. "With the need to replace government leaders now coupled with restructuring and clearing out any traitors she'll be unable to focus on Monokuma. She'll focus on fortifying her defenses to prevent a repeat of what has just happened. As such, she'll wipe out any smaller and dangerous threats quickly to keep them from becoming a problem."

"You killed a prince, and you don't have many followers," Mukuro said realizing what Lelouch understood.

"Yes," Lelouch replied in confrontation, "so I am a threat Cornelia can deal with and swiftly before I can have a chance to grow so she can focus her full attention on Monokuma."

It was merely a question of how.

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater:**

Monokuma was sitting in the stands of a race car stadium watching various high-speed race cars zip pass one another while trying to get ahead of the car in first place. During their attempts, some of the vehicles had nearly crashed during their bold, but very reckless efforts to get into first place.

"Recklessness is a beautiful thing," Monokuma said before eating some popcorn. "It's so beautiful I want to print T-shirts with the words Reckless Beauty on them."

Suddenly a car slammed into another before the two spiraled out of control colliding with the other racers leading to a devastating pileup. Monokuma pulled out a used wrench from behind his seat before winking at the reader and then hiding said wrench behind his chair again.

"Because recklessness is the stuff dreams are made from. It makes you want to run at full speed with no regards for your limitations. It is what makes you excited about anything." Monokuma explained. "Some say its foolish, but recklessness is what causes new events. So while you are still alive live your life so recklessly that you will be immortal. And if haters laugh at you, then let them, because they just don't have the same love for wild beauty like you."

* * *

A/N: well I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and the last portion of the chapter worked out as I intended. Although I am trying to avoid making Monokuma/Junko into a Mary Sue, I admit it is easy to get carried away when I enjoy writing with them quite a bit.

I thought the song would be something to add to the level of brutality in the short mutual killing game Monokuma ran among the highest leaders of Area 11's government, although I assume it's a type of council I had no real information on them, so I had to adapt my own ideas.

Now that Cornelia is formerly involved I hope her presence will allow for things to even out, but Lelouch knows he is in trouble since Cornelia will move to take Zero out of the game. If he is left alone, he will become a more significant threat before focusing her full attention on Ultimate Despair/Monokuma, but that is merely the tip of the iceberg as she has internal corruption and other resistance groups to deal with.

Some of the Danganronpa V3 characters (likely all of them at one point) will appear in this story, but heavily modified to be adapted into the story, and I am ignoring the revelations of chapter six to make that adaption easier. I won't say anything else to avoid spoilers for anyone who hasn't played the game. I'll have no shortage of characters if I need a few later and I don't need to create any OCs to fulfill any roles which is something else I am pleased about.

If anyone felt out of character, let me know, because this is my first time with a lot of them so any constructive feedback so I can find more ways to improve.

I am also working on the outline for the next Killing Game and taking what I have learned doing the first one I am going to do bigger and better than the first one. I expect it will happen around the timeline following events with Mao and the Narita. However, I have a basic outline so far, and nothing is set in stone yet as other events and factors might influence the second Killing Game.

Now, what additional information did Lelouch get during his infiltration besides finding evidence of Hajime's disappearance and any idea of how in-depth is Cornelia going to investigate internal corruption?

See you guys' next chapter.


	14. Chapter 14 Despair Marches On

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, and I am trying out a new grammar and sentence structure checker to help make my chapters better to read. I updated chapter one using this checker to see if the reading my chapters is better compared to chapters that follow, and if it works, I'll edit all of the past chapters using my new checker to clean it up a little better.

Still, I am seeking a beta reader.

Anyway to address a question asked and to answer it for anyone else curious as well. I agree Lelouch should suspect Junko, but at the moment he doesn't have any reason to right now, or maybe he doesn't want to. Regardless I don't want Lelouch finding out about Junko being behind Monokuma until a little later when I have the rest of the conditions I am trying to set up ready first.

I have an outline of the next Killing Game planned out, but I still need to work out some details (thank you for those who voted since it gives me information to use as I weigh certain options). I am not the kind who seeks to kill everyone in a story, but considering the universe involved with Code Geass, it's something I must consider. I won't kill off characters unless their deaths are meant to further the story, although there was one exception to this rule I won't do it to anyone else that one.

I almost considered typing out a complete play out of events in Saitama Ghetto, but it would've felt like a copy and paste, so I decided to take a different approach to a slightly different outcome.

Enjoy

02/15/2018: edited and cleaned up.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their_ _mind._ _"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

 **Despair Marches On**

C.C. observed a recording of officially appointed the new Viceroy through a publicly broadcasted ceremony. It was brief, which wasn't a surprise to those close to the third princess. As a result, her younger sister Euphemia hosted and oversaw the rest of the ceremony allowing Cornelia to excuse herself.

"I guess she really is a hardened soldier."

Junko sat with C.C. on the sofa in Lelouch's apartment. She was drinking an energy drink while watching the broadcast with the green haired immortal woman.

"According to Lelouch, she never cared much for formal functions," C.C. noted from a discussion she had with Lelouch before leaving. "Unless her attendance was mandatory she'll never show. The exception to this would be a family related celebration."

"I heard something similar."

"She'll be a major obstacle for his plans to bring Britannia down."

Junko nodded her head, "I agree."

Junko had done some research on Cornelia, and she was intrigued by what she found. Against the wishes of her mother, she joined the military academy as soon as she was young enough. Cornelia had always expressed interest in becoming a warrior like the famed Marianne the Flash. Lelouch had also confirmed this fact stating that Cornelia had always idolized his mother, which was a factor in her becoming chief of security at their home the Aeries Villa as her first assignment as a soldier.

Following the demise of Marianne vi Britannia, Cornelia became the first pilots of the Empire's new combat-ready Glasgow Knightmare Frames. There was no information where she was in Japan during the war and what battles she took part in, but her actions during the conflict propelled her rise through the ranks. By the time Clovis was pointed Viceroy of Area 11, Cornelia was promoted to General of the Imperial Army. There were rumors that Cornelia was initially considered for the post, but the warrior princess had no interest in governing an Area and was more interested in establishing a new Area instead.

Regardless Cornelia became renowned as one of Britannia's fiercest battlefield commanders and an ace Knightmare Frame pilot with only a few capable of matching her. It certainly didn't help her opposition that her preferred machine was the Gloucester, which was the most formidable Knightmare Frame just below the Lancelot. Even her closest followers and her knight used Gloucester units.

Another factor to consider was that unlike most Britannian Commanders, Cornelia was willing to retreat if conditions had become too unfavorable and to avoid the unnecessary loss of her soldiers who have loyally followed the Viceroy into many battles.

The benefit was that they became fiercely loyal to her, more than any other soldier under a member of royalty.

That woman has no weakness; Junko thought before correcting herself, almost I should say.

Unlike most of the royal family, Cornelia was among the small few who actually cared for the well being of her fellow siblings, with her younger sister being the one whom she fiercely protected more than anyone else. On the one hand, it would seem insane to bring your beloved younger sister whom you have dotted on since she was a child to one of the most hostile Areas of the Empire. At the same time, it kept Euphemia close to Cornelia allowing her to protect her from the dangers of being a Britannian Princess.

Assassinations and conspiracies were not the only dangers Cornelia sought to protect Euphemia from, but as a Princess of Britannia nearing legal age for marriage, there was a high chance she would be married off to some essential noble or the leader of another country for political convenience. Junko assumed it was probably the reason she brought Euphemia from Britannia to Area 11 despite the danger it would put her in.

 _Still, that's pretty gutsy of her_ _bringing_ _her little sister to this hellhole. I guess things back home must be pretty bad._ Junko mused because no other reasonable explanation came to mind.

A toothy grin appeared on her face.

 _A choice she'll regret when I am done drowning little Euphy in despair._

Junko's thoughts were interrupted by C.C. asking a question.

"You're supposed to have Ultimate level analysis abilities right? Cornelia is going to target Lelouch first isn't she?"

"That's obvious," Junko replied with a bored expression, "Zero is small and fairly new, so logically she'll take him out before he has a chance to gather followers and grow into a larger threat. Furthermore, he killed Clovis, so once he's gone, she can focus on Ultimate Despair and the JLF."

"Then she'll draw Zero out there."

"No duh Captain Obvious. Her best chance would be to recreate what happened at Shinjuku Ghetto to tempt Lelouch into going after Cornelia." Junko explained before adding. "She'll probably use one of the ghettos that are a hot spot for resistance groups to give herself the advantage of Zero being forced to use a resistance group he isn't familiar with."

"Meaning there would be a chance their dissimilar goals would work against Lelouch."

"Nailed it," Junko replied before eating a handful of potato chips.

"And Lelouch would be too prideful and overconfident to resist, so..."

Junko swallowed the food followed up by a slip from a soft drink before saying. "We need to hog tie his ass."

* * *

Unaware of the plotting happening behind his back Lelouch was meeting with Chiaki at the fountain. He had information about Hajime, but Lelouch decided against revealing what he had discovered for both Chiaki's protection and the fact she was better off unaware of what had become of Hajime. The two were playing a game together, wirelessly connected through their respective Gamer Girl Handhelds, although Lelouch was holding his own he was convinced of Chiaki's gaming prowess.

 _The title of Ultimate Gamer is well deserved for you._ Lelouch thought although he was struggling he enjoyed the challenge he was facing.

"You are doing pretty well." Chiaki complimented.

"Playing this game must be second nature to you. You handle the controls so effortlessly it's impressive."

"Yeah," Chiaki shrugged her shoulders, "This was the first game I have ever played and still play it to this day."

"I am curious," Lelouch began as he glanced over at Chiaki, "has there been a game or disliked or had trouble with."

"I don't particularly dislike any genre, but I suppose I do have trouble with..." The young gamer shyly turned her head with a light blush on her cheeks.

Lelouch was met with silence, but he decided not to press the subject further.

"There you are," a voice called out, prompting Lelouch and Chiaki to seek out the source.

Chisa was spotted approaching the two at the fountain, apparently seeking Chiaki.

"I wanted to ask your opinion about teams coming up for the sports festival," Chisa asked before noticing Lelouch. "Oh, I am sorry I didn't notice you. I apologize for interrupting."

"Don't worry about it," Lelouch replied, "You are her teacher, I assume, so you needed her right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Miss Yukizome, this is Lelouch from Class 78," Chiaki said, stepping in to provide introductions. "Lelouch, this is my teacher, Miss Yukizome."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Lelouch greeted.

"Likewise," Chisa said before noticing.

 _His voice sounds like Hajime._

"I suppose this means we'll have to cut our time together," Lelouch said followed by a sigh of disappointment.

Chiaki seemed equally saddened. "It seems that way."

"I am sorry," Chisa offered, "but maybe I could pull some strings for you to have a rematch."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow with a curious expression on his face. "What do you mean?"

"One of the events for the Sports Festival this year will involve video games. It was to provide an opportunity for those not, shall we say, athletically inclined so no one would feel left out."

Lelouch wasn't convinced that was the only reason, but he saw nothing to gain by questioning it.

"I see, so Chiaki, being the Ultimate Gamer, will likely represent your class," Lelouch asked.

"That's right," Chisa nodded in confirmation, "however, it's going to be a team effort, so Chiaki needs to pick three of her fellow classmates to be on her team."

"Yes, and the whole team will be graded on their overall performance so if say Chiaki won every game but her team did poorly then another team could win."

"To encourage teamwork that makes sense," Lelouch noted, but he believed this was to ensure the other teams would have a fair chance to win given Chiaki's talent.

"I like it," Chiaki said as she was clearly interested. "I wonder who you'll pick for your team Lelouch."

"I'll need to find out what my classmates will be doing during the festival then I'll choose from those not involved in any of the events," Lelouch answered as he put one hand on his chin in contemplation. "I am sure you'll be doing the same."

"Yes, but I will be looking forward to it."

Lelouch smiled, "Then may the best class win."

* * *

The following day Lelouch was watching a television report about an announcement that the Saitama Ghetto has been surrounded by the Britannian Army led by Princess Cornelia to eliminate the Yamato Alliance resistance group. Even without announcing the time of the attack it was obviously a trap to bait Zero, which was what Junko and C.C were expecting to happen.

Even knowing it was a trap, Lelouch was intent on going.

"You know it's a trap and you still plan to waltz into it," Junko said, folding both arms under her chest as she was leaning by the front door of Lelouch's apartment.

"Yes, but they went through so much trouble to make it happen that it would be a shame not to disappoint them," Lelouch replied with a confident smirk as he was kneeling on the ground before a large case that contained his Britannian Army uniform he had used during the battle in Shinjuku Ghetto.

"I agree with Junko. Walking into this trap thinking it's going to go the same for you as it did in Shinjuku is a huge mistake." C.C. said as she stood near Lelouch clearly displeased about how overconfident Lelouch had become.

"I have predicted how this will go. There is an over ninety percent failure and death rate for you."

"I have proven your predictions wrong."

"Not with stakes like this." Junko shot back.

However, Junko was lying about her prediction. In truth Junko believed there was a much higher chance of Cornelia recognizing Lelouch, assuming he managed to get close to her G-1, who might spare him to speak to him privately. From there Lelouch could put her under his Geass and seize control of her troops or she might willingly join in Lelouch's rebellion. The latter seemed strangely likely despite the chances of that being reasonably low being based on what she knew about the new Viceroy, but regardless the outcome was unacceptable for one who wanted to plunge the world into despair. For Junko to succeed, Lelouch's rebellion needed to be long and bloody.

Of course, if her new Killing Game plays out as expected, then it would only sweeten the despair it would induce.

"Cornelia is just fooling you into a false sense of security before she'll use her experience and better tactics to blindside you."

"I still must press forward regardless of the risks, otherwise how can I find meaning, or rather," Lelouch said before glaring at Junko with resolve in his eyes, "I want to be freed of this lie of called the life of a student doing something with more meaning."

Junko merely sighed.

"I figured you would say something like that," Junko replied with a deadpan expression before snapping her fingers.

With barely a chance to react, Mukuro pounced on Lelouch. He was swiftly pinned to the ground while at the same time held at an angle that prevented the use of his Geass. Lelouch tried to struggle, but Mukuro was physically superior to Lelouch in every way so escaping her powerful hold was impossible.

"Now before you go into some rant about preferring to be dead than to go back to living a boring and dull life. I put together a plan of my own." Junko said before walking over to the pinned Lelouch lay. "If you agree to go with it, then Mukuro and I will help you."

Lelouch grunted in defeat as he tried for one final time, in vain, to get free.

"What did you have in mind?"

* * *

Shortly after six in the evening, the attack on Saitama Ghetto began after those who were in charge, you could hardly call them administrative officials, were mercilessly executed before Cornelia unleashed her forces upon the defenseless civilians slaughtering them by the dozens. Other than the intent, the attack on Saitama Ghetto played out precisely the same as the original start of the battle at Shinjuku Ghetto. This was done thanks to the help of the staff officers Cornelia had on hand to ensure a perfect recreation of conditions at Shinjuku.

Everything was progressing smoothly until…

"We just lost contact with Paladin Team." An officer standing at the tactical map on the bridge of the G-1 announced as two Sutherlands displayed on the map were declared lost.

"Ester Team, contact lost." Another technician from his station announced.

Soon reports began pouring in of ambushes and counterattacks coupled with news of the Yamato Alliance now possessing Sutherlands. Cornelia remained quietly passive as the reports continued to come in, and the comments from the Staff Officers who had served Clovis during the Shinjuku Disaster confirmed it was Zero who was leading the terrorists in an impressive and well-coordinated counterattack.

After losing two tanks, four Sutherlands and men upon a bridge that was blown apart by the enemy Cornelia at last spoke.

"That's enough," Cornelia said before calming ordering, "Order all troops to fall back. Further damage and casualties serve no point."

"With all due respect, we can still fight!" One of the staff officers protested.

"We can't fight like this."

"All units fall back to Ghetto Perimeter, formation doesn't matter," Dalton ordered on an open channel.

"Once all of our units have retreated," Cornelia began turning to her knight Guilford, "are you ready my knight?"

"It is my duty to serve you, your highness," Guilford replied with a bow before departing the bridge to broad his Knightmare Frame.

Almost ten minutes would pass after all military units under Cornelia have retreated as ordered; an IFF signal from a Sutherland suddenly appeared on the tactical screen within the ghetto.

"A Sutherland within the ghetto has begun broadcasting a signal again." An officer overseeing the tactical map reported.

"Quickly dispatch a rescue party."

"No," Cornelia interjected, "destroy it!"

"But," One of the Staff Officers said shocked by Cornelia's sudden order, "he could be a captive of the enemy?"

Cornelia was not deterred, "I ordered all forces to fall back. I have no use for soldiers who cannot follow orders."

The Staff Officers wanted to argue further, but the fierce look in Cornelia's eyes silenced them from further attempts.

"Do your duty even if it costs your life," Cornelia said as Dalton relayed Cornelia's order to Guilford and two members of the royal guard accompanying him, "and my subordinates follow that code without question."

It didn't take Guilford and his fellow soldiers in their Gloucester to swiftly overwhelm and kill the Sutherland and its terrorist pilot.

Cornelia watched the tactical map on the overhead monitor more carefully knowing Zero was likely to respond to this setback, but little did he realize he had already lost this battle.

 _Another IFF signal has appeared,_ Cornelia thought as she observed its movements as it moved to a position at an old hospital. _He must realize we will kill the pilot unless…_

"They've set up an ambush!" Cornelia called out before ordering, "Tell Guilford to hold position and dispatch more Gloucesters to surround them. Once they arrive order them to close in and wipe out the enemy."

However, thanks to Lelouch having access to the same tactical information as Cornelia the young man quickly realized the danger and ordered the units stationed there to retreat to avoid being wiped out.

"He anticipated my moves, so we are dealing with Zero." Cornelia mused before a dark smile appeared on her face confident she had Zero as good as finished.

All she had to do was wipe out the men he was commanding.

To make matters worse, as C.C. and Junko predicted, the members of the Yamato Alliance began abandoning their Sutherlands and their positions opting instead to surrender to Cornelia. Their different motivations and lack of organization formed out a sudden alliance for survival had quickly crumbled exposing a fatal weakness of Lelouch's strategy of recruiting the local resistance groups instead of his own troops.

Unsurprisingly Cornelia ordered her men to execute them using anti-personnel turrets mounted on their machines.

Then finally Guilford and the rest of Cornelia's Royal Guard swiftly wiped out the last of the Yamato Alliance, once they began disregarding Lelouch's orders, it was a foregone conclusion that his defeat was inevitable.

"This time things went differently for you Zero," Cornelia said with a smirk, unable to hide her satisfaction, "now are you masquerading around as one of my men or not?"

Cornelia suspected that while Zero was apparently a skilled tactician, his actions during their encounter confirmed that he was likely using one of their Sutherlands with its IFF still active to monitor their movements and make his plans based on how her own troops moved. This was supported by the fact that she had been very carefully observing every unit on the map as her units were deployed and mindful to keep a count on those whose IFF signals went off and any Knightmare Frames that didn't seem to actively take part in the battle to confirm her suspicions.

She spotted one Sutherland that reactivated its IFF and joined the retreating units, which was enough to convince her that Zero was among her troops right outside her mobile base.

 _His objective was to use the terrorists to create an opening so he could slip in and assassinate me just like Clovis._

Cornelia's last order was sure to seal Zero's fate.

"Attention all pilots," Cornelia commanded, "open your hatches and reveal your faces."

* * *

Or instead, it would've had Junko not anticipated what was going to happen had Lelouch taken the bait.

"Ok, so what do you say?" Junko asked with a big smile while blinking her eyelashes in a somewhat cutesy gesture, which wasn't doing a seething Lelouch any favors.

Thankfully Lelouch wasn't in the Knightmare Frame that Cornelia suspected he was in, but rather the pilot he had put under his Geass, under Mukuro's supervision. The two then set up a two-way camera with a long transmission range that could broadcast both video and audio allowing Lelouch to observe the battle through the Knightmare Frame's tactical map with the pilot he had enslaved under his Geass to assist him if needed. The pilot had his own radio allowing Lelouch to issue orders from the safety of an old building outside of Saitama Ghetto, and the building they were hiding in was tall enough to receive the camera's signal thanks to Mukuro hardwiring the remote camera to use the Knightmare Frame's own internal transmitter.

To say Lelouch was furious was an understatement, but it wasn't bad enough his plan had fallen apart so effortlessly. No, Junko's teasing that she had been right about what would happen had played out as she expected it would only sour Lelouch's mood even further.

"Alright you made your point," Lelouch said finally with some restrained annoyance, but he knew it was useless to dwell on it, "I got overconfident; are you happy now?"

Junko seemed disappointed by the response, "I expected something along the lines of I am sorry for doubting you Junko you wonderful person."

Lelouch was apparently not amused, although he didn't want to give her the satisfaction by arguing with her. Nevertheless he couldn't deny that his overconfidence had nearly cost him everything, and furthermore, it drove home the fact that relying on other resistance groups was a huge mistake. Lelouch understood if he wanted to challenge Cornelia, and by extension Britannia, he would need his own followers who shared his goals and would be loyal to him.

Perhaps he could shape them into a far more formidable resistance group that could grow into something much more with the right people.

Lelouch's pride had taken a blow, but he intended to repay Cornelia, and his only comfort was the fact that Junko had prepared for the outcome she had predicted. Unlike the camera and monitor, she bought at a high-end electronics store the next item was readied courtesy of Mukuro with the right parts and materials obtained from some unsavory black market contacts that could be trusted. Inside the cockpit of the Sutherland, whose pilot was enslaved to Lelouch, was a bomb with a remote detonator.

"I'll never make this mistake again. I won't let something like overconfidence blind me again, so…thank you Junko." Lelouch said settling his anger over the matter.

"A little better, but I'll take it." Junko said before pulling out a small radio, "Ok Mukuro time for the bitch slap!"

* * *

Just as Junko gave the order, Guilford made his way down the line up to the Sutherland in question, whose pilot had yet to emerge from the cockpit per Cornelia's orders, was now facing the Sutherland. As Guilford was ordering the pilot to open his hatch a soldier spotted someone they didn't expect to see atop the ruins of a small apartment building in clear view of Cornelia's G-1 base, but a safe distance away.

Instead of Lelouch, it was Mukuro wearing the cape and mask.

"Zero has been spotted!" A soldier announced over an open channel as all eyes fell upon the masked terrorist who stood defiantly before Cornelia with her cape fluttering in the wind.

"Ah ha, I knew it; Zero has a flair for the dramatic," Cornelia said having her first look at her quarry.

As soldiers below accompanied by a Sutherland began to surround the crumbling building Mukuro held out a small remote, which Guilford spotted from his Knightmare Frame. In moments a terrible thought came to mind, and with seconds to act he shouted. When he considered all other possibilities there was only one reason Zero would reveal a remote after revealing himself like this.

"EVERYONE MOVE AWAY!"

Acting on instinct, he ejected himself from his machine, which may have saved his life.

Upon pressing the remote the bomb inside the Sutherland detonated as the machine erupted in a giant fireball that caught the other two Sutherlands standing to its left and right causing them to explode. Guilford would've been engulfed in the explosion and possibly killed had he not ejected, but the blast caught his launching cockpit block damaging it before sending it flying into a ruined building.

Once her task was done Mukuro merely fell back and vanished behind the apartment ruins while Cornelia ordered men to recover Guilford.

* * *

Junko had hoped to kill Guilford as a consolation prize for Lelouch, but there was a chance he could survive. Still, it served as a decent slap in the face.

"You didn't get him?" Lelouch said suspecting that Guilford might survive.

"Well it was a long shot at best, but it's something at least," Junko answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

"I suppose," Lelouch replied because there was nothing further he could say. His plan had failed tremendously, and things could've been worse if Junko and Mukuro hadn't intervened with C.C. to stop him. He just had to swallow his pride, because keeping Mukuro and Junko as allies and friends in his plans to bring down Britannia was likely to prove essential. "Thank you, Junko."

Junko grinned, "Don't mention it, besides things would be so boring without you around."

 _I just made him harder to take down, because he'll never allow overconfidence to get the better of him again. So such despair it could bring if we ever had to face each other._

* * *

Later that evening after Mukuro, Lelouch and Junko escaped they returned to the apartment where C.C. was waiting, she didn't need to ask what had happened as the evidence was upon Lelouch's face. Lelouch lay down on the couch while Junko served herself a soft drink from the refrigerator. Mukuro sat down on one of the delicate chairs near the sofa waiting for Junko. When the young woman finally entered the room, she occupied the only unclaimed soft chair near Lelouch's head.

"So after that failure," C.C. began softly reprimanding the former prince, "what is your next step?"

"I'll have to use Ohgi's group as the founding members of my own organization. Once we have a chain of command and base of operations established, we can build from there." Lelouch answered before a smile appeared on his face. "We'll need an incident to demonstrate what we stand for, so I am thinking a Knight of Justice angle."

Junko raised an eyebrow, "Knight of Justice?"

"Yes," Lelouch said before explaining, "I am thinking of calling my organization the Order of the Black Knights. They would fight against those who abuse their power. Not just Britannia, but criminals and politicians who abuse the system and take advantage of those without power."

"I see, so taking advantage of the side of the Japanese population who hate Britannia, but despise terrorism?"

"Exactly, because if we have public support, then it will be easier for us to operate and fewer people would be willing to report our activities to Britannia."

Junko merely smirked, "you are just going to take advantage of them aren't you?"

"Of course," Lelouch replied without hesitating, "as long as Britannia falls anything goes."

"I get it." The blonde said as she took another sip from her soft drink. "You need something to show your intentions to Area 11, like some kind of event you could intervene in and unveil the Black Knights?"

Lelouch grinned in response. "Actions speak louder than words right?"

"True, but it sounds like you are going to need a hostage situation. However, it would have to be something Cornelia could not interfere with since she is likely to sacrifice the hostages to take out the terrorists."

The former prince felt an uneasy silence as a thought crossed his mind, "are you suggesting that Euphemia should be one of the hostages?"

"Cornelia wouldn't do anything to endanger her, right?"

"That's true," Lelouch admitted reluctantly, but a part of him was against such an idea. "However there is a high risk she could be killed to spite Cornelia."

"True," Junko replied nodding her head in agreement, "but are you saying that because it's true or you are trying to find an excuse to sidestep the issue?"

Junko didn't need an answer as the conflicted look on Lelouch's face was the only answer she needed.

"Maybe you should consider rephrasing when you say anything goes because clearly, not everything goes." Junko pointed out thoughtfully, although it annoyed Lelouch he couldn't deny that Junko was making a valid point the more intellectual part of his mind acknowledged.

As much as Lelouch would prefer it if Euphemia did not get caught in the crossfire in his war to bring down Britannia, he knew that even if she remained in the homeland, the chances were high that something terrible would befall her. Lelouch acknowledged that deep down he didn't want Euphy to endure the discovery of the cold and shocking truths of the royal family and Britannia. Her television appearances showed that she wasn't as pro-Britannian as Cornelia was. In fact, she was quite the idealist and treated Honorary Britannians and Numbers with more respect than what would've been acceptable among members of both royalty and nobility.

 _Such ideals will only put a_ _bulls-eye_ _on her back, and make her an ideal target for a competing royal to get rid of her and potentially Cornelia at the same time._ Lelouch thought as he contemplated the worrying implications Euphemia might face.

"Have you considered that something happening to her will provide a golden opportunity for you?" Junko asked suspecting correctly what Lelouch was thinking about. "If you want to bring down Britannia you need to actually be serious about using whatever tactics and drop any hesitation since the chances of fighting Suzaku alone is high. Have you considered what Euphemia might do if you were successful in killing Cornelia after interrogating her?"

Lelouch showed no sign of surprise at that last comment, but deep down he acknowledged that Euphemia could become an enemy he would have to deal with. It was a realization that made him unconformable, but he recognized he would have to harden his heart for what was to come.

"I think it's better for you to address the elephant in the room before you get further along the path you have chosen."

In response to her worlds, Lelouch sighed before sitting up on the sofa, which Junko wasted no time occupying a spot right next to the young man. She sat directly next to him as she looked at his face prompting the young man to look into her own blue eyes.

A smile appeared on Lelouch's face, "you're right. I don't like the idea of facing Euphemia because I feel she wouldn't be able to endure what my war could do to her. Ignoring the possibilities would be foolish on my part."

Lelouch understood he needed to make peace with the fact to commit evil to destroy another evil he would hurt or even kill innocent lives along that road. No matter if it was anyone close to him it was bound to happen regardless if he wanted it to or not.

"I understand to walk this path my conscience is a burden I must cast aside. No matter what the world must change. Even if the cost will be high if it demands the sacrifice of soldiers and the innocent as well." Lelouch said with a clear clarity of mind upon the path before him. "Indirectly or otherwise there will be a trail of death in my wake. Regardless I already crossed the point of no return when I killed to survive Monokuma's game."

Junko smiled darkly at Lelouch's steely resolve.

 _The despair of living a lie coupled with the fear of being used and discarded as a tool fueled his rage._

Junko thought as she was pleased with the direction Lelouch was heading towards. All she had to do was provide the proper nudge here and there to set him on his course that will bring chaos to the worlds.

"I know Nunnally will not accept my choices and neither would anyone else," Lelouch said with a solemn expression.

Junko put a hand on Lelouch's left shoulder before saying, "she might not agree with it, but she would be the closest to understanding your motivations."

"True..."

"Besides people are only as good as the world allows them to be. If we weren't raised on concepts like law, punishment, and morality, I think our world would've been very different." Junko said before she continued to say. "Yet, even if some won't admit it openly, they will agree with your methods as long as it changes the world to something better."

"You certainly see the world very differently."

" _We_ see the world differently," Junko said gently turning Lelouch's face to face her own using a sly sleight of hand to cup his cheek. "Ok, how we see the world differs between us, but I think we're both ahead of the curve when compared to the everyday sheep who just wanders around."

Lelouch merely grinned, "We aren't part of the herd, and frankly I don't mind in the slightest."

"Of course, but I am sure things will be more interesting with your new power and," Junko was saying before allowing her sentence to trail off before turning her gaze to C.C., "I wonder if are there more like you and others who possess Geass like Lelouch?"

C.C. didn't respond at first, but Lelouch contemplated a thought that came to mind before asking. "Actually that is something I have meant to ask. C.C. are there any others like you or others who might possess a Geass since Britannia was holding you captive."

Lelouch didn't overlook the question, but instead, it wasn't a concern Lelouch felt he needed to address immediately because even with such knowledge there wasn't much he could probably do about it at the moment.

The green haired immortal seemed visibly annoyed for a moment before she carefully contemplated her answer.

"There are, but I don't know them all personally. I do know of one close to the Emperor through." C.C. answered reluctantly, although she suspected that Junko might try to push her to reveal such information because it was logical to assume that Britannia didn't discover someone like her by accident. The secrecy and how they caught her in the first place could've been because Britannia and Clovis had been aware of her and her abilities for some time before her capture.

"I thought so because I doubt someone like Clovis could've found someone like you by accident?" Junko said which confirmed C.C.'s suspicions and had avoided being cornered.

Lelouch was considering this carefully, but this was a worrying complication.

 _Does the Emperor have Geass too?_ Lelouch thought as his mind was processing how this might affect his coming war with Britannia.

With a sigh, C.C. decided it was best to admit what she knew, but she had no intention of revealing everything to Lelouch.

"His name is Victor zi Britannia; he is the brother of your father the Emperor and your uncle. He goes by the name V.V. now, he can grant Geass like me, and he is immortal too having obtained immortality at a very young age."

"What," Lelouch said shocked by this revelation that he had an uncle and Lelouch's own uncle was an immortal like C.C., but with that information, it did confirm that his father, the Emperor, likely has a Geass too. "What kind of Geass does the Emperor possess?"

"His Geass allows him to manipulate and suppress memories however he wills through eye contact, he can go as far as replacing your whole identity with a complete set of false memories," C.C. explained to a surprised Lelouch.

"Wow," Junko said sounding impressed, "that must be very useful if he isn't limited to using it only once on the same person."

"No there is no limit, but rather I should say he can use it on the same person as much as he wants as long as the memories he tampers with or suppresses doesn't involve complete rewrites and the victim isn't introduced nor does anything contradictory that might weaken the seals."

Lelouch took a moment to process this information, but this brought a troubling realization to mind.

 _Could he have used it to manipulate or cover up the death of my mother?_

Without further information Lelouch could only speculate at this point, so he decided to push it aside for now. Even so, this new information just made fueled Lelouch's vendetta against Britannia.

"The only other person is the Knight of One, Bismarck Waldstein who's Geass allows him to see a few seconds into the future to predict the movements of his enemies. He hides it behind the eye he has sewn shut, but reveals it in a battle that demands its use." C.C. revealed, which only added another complication and obstacle Lelouch would have to deal with.

Thankfully it would be some time before he would face the Knights of the Rounds, and as long as the Emperor didn't know, he had C.C. and the information she had then Lelouch could use that as an advantage to catch the Knight of One and the Emperor off guard.

"I doubt they are the only ones are they," Lelouch said realizing the Emperor wouldn't have stopped with the Knight of One possessing a Geass, "they probably other agents or maybe even other members of the Knights of the Round who are in possession of Geass."

"That is likely true since I heard there was one Knight of the Round who had possessed Geass, but I don't know if she or he is still among them," C.C. answered casually, although it was hard to tell if she was hiding anything else.

"So the Emperor, more than likely, has a secret army of supernatural power wielding followers. Well, this got both more complicated for you," Junko said folding her arms over her chest before thinking.

 _And more interesting…_

Lelouch considered it, but if he was the Emperor of Britannia then, he couldn't think of any reason _why_ the Emperor wouldn't have additional followers and agents possessing a Geass to help further his own agenda.

 _I can't imagine he would keep an army. If the powers of Geass vary from user to_ _user_ _and assuming they affect the mind, then the Emperor would likely keep a small group he can control to ensure none of them could oppose or even attempt to overthrow him._ Lelouch reasoned internally, and also if he had a means of manipulating memories, he still found the possibility of the Emperor taking such a risk, which would confirm that whatever manipulations he could perform on a person's mind could be undone or some other unforeseen liability.

Lelouch could only guess at this point, but regardless this merely reinforced the fact that he wouldn't need ways to counter Geass he would need to find more information about the exact number of followers the Emperor had who could use Geass and what their ability was.

"As you've already guessed Geass varies from person to person," C.C. added although it was obvious at this point it was best to be said along with adding another fact. "Not even I could tell you what kind of Geass you could receive when I offer the power."

Junko's eyes narrowed as she thought, _I wonder what kind of Geass I would get then?_

"Then simply recruiting men and women to fill the ranks of the Black Knights will not be enough." Lelouch said after a few moments in deep thought, "I'll need highly exceptional people to join my ranks."

"Are you thinking about recruiting some of the Hope's Peak Academy students?"

"Yes," Lelouch answered before he explained, "I am aware that some of them would not fit well with the Black Knights depending on their talent. Aside from combat roles, I could obtain some scientists and researchers you could help me with developing countermeasures against Geass users and better weapons to give me an edge."

"I think it's a good idea, but not everyone who has the talents who might be useful to you would have good reasons to join the Black Knights." Junko pointed, although she wasn't trying to convince Lelouch that it was a bad idea she was cautioning him that not everyone might not have motivations that would align well with his own or the other members of the soon to be Black Knights.

"You have a point," Lelouch admitted before a thought came to mind, "but maybe the upcoming School Festival might provide me with an opportunity to do some scouting."

"What about Seiko," Junko asked referring to the Ultimate Pharmacist, "the stuff she can make would be a huge benefit to you wouldn't it."

"That is true, but I don't know if she would side with us. I don't know enough about her to be sure of that."

Junko nodded in agreement before saying, "fair enough, but if she has a thing for you then don't be afraid to take advantage of that."

Lelouch's expression soured at the idea, but he made the mistake of inquiring further.

"Something like that tends to backfire if she finds out I am using whatever attachment she has for me, if any, to manipulate her. Besides," Lelouch said thinking of his father, "what would make me any better than that man and how he uses his consorts."

"Well, for one thing, you probably would give more of a damn about the women in your life than he would, and besides I wasn't suggesting you make a harem out of Ultimate Female Students." Junko said with a coy smile appeared on her face, "but I don't mind as long as I can join in right."

Lelouch was clearly annoyed, but he didn't allow it to be expressed in his response, "I have no intention of forming some kind of harem and besides I am sure someone might be upset if I really did so."

"Who can say, but you should know by now that I find ordinary things boring," Junko replied with a sly smile, which made Lelouch cautious.

The former prince internally sighed as he couldn't grasp any woman who would be open to sharing a man beside Junko. Lelouch assumed it was because of boredom at how she efficiently predicts her daily life, might be open to the idea since it could offer a level of unpredictability for her compared to what an average relationship would entail.

"You overlook the obvious problem that besides you and Mukuro no one else knows about my true identity, which could become a problematic factor," Lelouch said intending to shoot down the conversation before it could continue on.

Junko was seemingly disappointed, but she would find a way to make a comeback. "I suppose, and Celeste might be more likely to sell you out for the right price if she knew the truth behind you."

 _Or she might be willing to share a bed with us if she found out about your former royalty status, but that probably wouldn't be enough._ Junko contemplated because he knew the Ultimate Gambler could be useful in helping bring in additional funds for the Black Knights.

The problem with Celestia Ludenberg was that she was very greedy, so she would potentially be more of a liability than an ally.

 _Sayaka on the other hand,_ Junko thought while grinning internally at the thought.

She knew Sayaka well enough through the times they met at photo shoots where the former was to pose in Clovis's swimwear, and she knew Sayaka Maizono would do almost anything for the sake of her career. It was the reason she chose to be a part-time model for Clovis because it allowed her to continue her career as a pop idol without having to sleep around with different managers. If Lelouch hadn't intervened recently, poor Sayaka would've lost her virginity by now.

 _She might not be able to offer much to the Black Knights other than possible Public Relations support after Japan is liberated, assuming it is at some point, but…she could help me motivate Lelouch to the right direction to aggressively pursue his rebellion._

Junko was smiling deviously on the inside, although she would need to do some checking on Sayaka before she could begin manipulating events and her to suit her goals.

 _Not to mention if need be I could have her killed to motivate Lelouch further and to drown him in despair, or if Lelouch ends up dead_ _then,_ _Sayaka could help me infect the world with_ _despair_ _if conditions are just right._

That was the real reason Junko had contemplated encouraging Lelouch to form a harem with various women involved. If a member died then, Junko could inflict despair on Lelouch and make him more aggressive towards his goal, or if Lelouch died later, she could use them to motivate his followers to get revenge and sink the world into despair. This would leave many possible paths and outcomes open for Junko to explore depending on how Lelouch's war with Britannia plays out.

 _Of_ _course,_ _we'll have some fun in the bedroom in the meantime,_ Junko thought while she was grinning deviously on the inside.

"I suppose that's true, but let me remind you that you keep saying that you'll do anything to bring down Britannia. Let me ask you this, if it meant sharing your bed with someone else to gain a potential advantage over Britannia would you do it?" Junko asked with a smile as she verbally backed Lelouch into a corner.

Thankfully Lelouch was prepared with a proper counter for that, "you are assuming a lot Junko. That would be assuming she would be willing to share or you proposing some kind of arranged marriage?"

"I am just saying," Junko said shrugging her shoulders, "some women might not mind and some like me would probably enjoy it. Of course, if it gives you an advantage and grantees the loyalty of a potentially invaluable asset to you then I see little reason why you should deny it. Other than you being too prideful or against the idea for what would ultimately amount to petty reasons in the face of the war ahead."

Lelouch wasn't sure how to best respond to it because much to his annoyance Junko had once again brought up a valid point. He hated the idea she suggested, but he couldn't deny what Junko said, and he did acknowledge that depending on conditions there were certain advantages it could allow him. Still, it did little to quell the reservations he had about becoming involved with more than one woman.

Junko said nothing further as she cupped both of Lelouch's cheeks as she looked into his eyes, although Lelouch had been fully aware of how close Junko has been to him, Lelouch had been careful to avoid giving her any openings to tease him or derail the conversation. His time with Milly had been useful in that regard as he was more on guard whenever he was dealing with very mischievous blondes.

He wasn't prepared for what came next as Junko pressed her lips against Lelouch before swiftly wrapping her arms around his neck snaring him entirely with her lips.

Lelouch's eyes went wide in surprise as he didn't expect this from Junko, but some part of him was aware of Junko's attraction for him.

However, Lelouch didn't resist as his lips parted slightly giving her eager tongue access where it met Lelouch's tongue in a struggle for dominance. He found himself completely lost in the kiss as Lelouch fell back onto the couch, which Junko seized to straddle his lap. Junko pressed her pleasurable assault as she continued to massage his tongue with her with a kiss that was intense and demanding at the same time. Lelouch was surprised by his lack of resistance, but he avoided doing anything fully aware of the fact that an accidental hand on her thigh or breast could easily cascade to a loss of virginity.

After what seemed like forever, Junko drew back as she continued to straddle Lelouch's lap.

"I have waited a long time for that," Junko said with a triumphant smile before stretching her arms above her head in a suggestive pose. "I am a little sad you didn't take the chance to explore."

"It could've gone a little further than a kiss if I did that," Lelouch admitted almost reluctantly, but a part of him was angry that he allowed Junko to slip past his defenses. "Not to mention I don't think they would've liked to watch that."

Lelouch pointed to C.C. and Mukuro who were in the room still, although C.C. was seemingly passive Mukuro seemed oddly agitated, yet she has regained her composure before anyone could notice.

"Thank you for your consideration, Lelouch," C.C. said finally seemingly glad they didn't go further, but it was hard to tell if she was annoyed or angry with what had just happened.

"You're not jealous are you?" Junko teased as she exchanged a glance with the immortal woman.

"Me, don't be ridiculous."

"Junko would mind removing yourself," Lelouch said feeling somewhat compromised by his current position.

"Come on you enjoyed it. Even your body tells me it is enjoying it."

Lelouch grunted in anger, but he stubbornly didn't want to get Junko the satisfaction of her teasing was getting to him.

"No need to be angry or ashamed of it. Your body is merely responding naturally when you have a beautiful woman against you." Junko said as she, almost reluctantly, compiled and removed herself off of Lelouch. "Regardless that kiss and what I feel for you is real Lelouch."

"I know," Lelouch said as he straightened himself out as he sat up on the couch, "I just don't know if a relationship would be a good idea right now. I am fighting a war and today also reminded me that something could happen to me."

"And…" Junko merely replied folding her arms across her chest in a pouting manner.

"I don't want to leave anyone heartbroken over my death should it happen, but I have no intention of that," Lelouch said although he had no intention of losing to Britannia he had to acknowledge the possibility that the worse could happen to him and as such he should plan for the opportunity.

It meant that he didn't want any attachments that could distract him or leave behind should the worse happen.

"Lelouch, your death alone would be heartbreaking enough because you are the only person in my life to not only have exceeded my expectations but even defy them." Junko admitted before adding, "But life has been a lot more interesting with you around especially since you got your new power and what lies ahead for you because of it and its source."

"I see, so I guess too little too late then to avoid a relationship then is what you are saying."

"I practicality followed you to Ashford Academy and reentered Hope's Peak Academy when you got scouted for it," Junko responded as she raised an eyebrow. "Don't worry I won't rush anything with you we can take our time, but look on the bright side you can say that now we are dating you have a convenient excuse to dissuade any other woman from getting close to you."

 _That is true, and it would provide another excuse to explain why Junko and her sister spend time with me especially if they are going to become involved with my plans for the future._ Lelouch thought as he had to admit it did provide a good cover story that could be useful to him.

"Why don't you sleep on it Lelouch and we'll talk tomorrow," Junko said before gesturing for Mukuro to follow her.

"Good night Lelouch," Mukuro said before departing with Junko.

"Good night both of you."

Once the door was closed Lelouch let out a tired sigh.

"I am sorry you had to see that," Lelouch said, although he knew he wasn't at fault Lelouch felt an apology was owed to the immortal woman since he had allowed that scene to play out. Perhaps Lelouch was trying to play the role of a gentleman, which led to him offering an apology.

"That seemed to be a long time coming, but if you are concerned about me being offended by what I saw then you need not worry," C.C. replied passively. "What happens between you and Junko isn't my concern, but I would appreciate it if I wasn't part of an audience if you intend to take things further with her."

"Fair enough," Lelouch replied, "still being a relationship with her could provide potential good cover stories I can use for my activities as Zero."

"And keep anyone else from getting too close to you."

Lelouch nodded in confirmation, "yes and I think it would be for the best."

He reclined on the couch in deep thought; although it was sudden Lelouch acknowledged he should've been more prepared for Junko doing something unexpected. Yet a part of him welcomed the level of the relationship between them because unlike the female students at Ashford Academy who hounded him Junko was very different. She knew the real him and knew he was Zero, although he was disappointed Suzaku didn't join him Lelouch had Mukuro and Junko in his place. Furthermore, Junko, although different, could be considered his intellectual equal.

 _Maybe I should take Junko's advice and sleep on it and think about it more tomorrow._ Lelouch thought as he quieted his mind for now.

Some uncertainty remained, but Lelouch decided to see where the road he was currently traveling on would lead towards.

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater:**

Atop of a large hill was a large pile of various and colorful fireworks, including rockets stuck into the ground ready for lunch, but a comically large firework rocket was the centerpiece of the collection. Tied to the missile was rabbit-like creature similar to Monokuma with one side white, and the other side was pink wearing a diaper and a pink bow on one of her ears.

"Happy New Year everyone, and Happy, upcoming, Chinese New Year!" Monokuma cheered as he was trying to light a match.

"Please someone help me," Monomi cried out as she struggled to break free of the bonds, "you can't launch me into the air like this."

"Oh quit whining, because big brother is going to send you to the moon," Monokuma replied followed by his signature laugh as he tried to light the match but found it strangely difficult to light one. "What better way to celebrate the year of the bear coming up."

"Huh, year of the bear, but it's supposed to be the year of the d-" Monomi was unable to finish that sentence as Monokuma finally successfully lit the match and lit the fuse before running away leaving behind a panicking Monomi.

The rockets, including the one Monomi, was strapped to, launched into the air coupled with the various fireworks on the ground began detonating leading to a dazzling display on the field and into the sky.

"Happy New Year and time for the year of the bear or rather the year of despair lies ahead."

* * *

A/N: I had planned to post this chapter on New Year's Day, but I, unfortunately, didn't finish it in time. Still, I had nothing else for a Monokuma Theater planned, so I thought I just leave it in.

Anyway, I thought it was an excellent time to further Lelouch and Junko's relationship, and I have to say I had a hard time writing out the scene because I was trying to capture how toxic and corrupting Junko can be while at the same time keep her and Lelouch in character. Lelouch I was trying to keep him defiant and stubborn, especially when his plan in regards to Cornelia came apart on him.

I did the battle at the ghetto the way I did because I didn't see any reason to go cover something that was exactly how it would play out in canon. It felt too much like a copy and paste, and so I did it the way I did since we all knew how it was going to play out and I wasn't trying to skim over it thoroughly.

However I am planning something different for the debut of the Black Knights, and it won't involve any hotels this time. It will happen after the School Festival, which will provide Lelouch with some opportunities to better familiarize himself with other Ultimate Students. Then it's merely a question of which ones could Lelouch recruit to the Black Knights.

And Junko did suggest the harem idea to Lelouch and her reasons Lelouch could consider it, but at the same time offer a reminder to the negative points of having one including Junko since her despair fetish will be a problem.

Thanks for reading the chapter and thanks in advance for your review/feedback.


	15. Chapter 15 Curtain Call

A/N: Speical Thanks to Coke-aholic for his feedback and our discussions that helped set this chapter up as quickly as I wrote it.

Of course thanks to everyone who reviewed and added it to their favorites/follows.

This chapter turned out a bit shorter than I thought, but I thought the place where I ended was a good cut off point.

So without further delay on with the chapter.

02/15/2018: edited and cleaned up.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their_ _mind._ _"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

 **Raise the Curtain**

(Four Days Later)

"You want me on your team?" Makoto asked although he was surprised by the offer yet as thought about he could hardly think of anyone else who could qualify.

Lelouch and Makoto were sitting in their classroom as the latter was sitting in front of his desk while the former occupied the seat next to him so they could talk.

"Yes, because I am hoping your luck will serve as a counter to the 77th Class's Ultimate Lucky Student," Lelouch explained because he heard some fascinating and bewildering stories surrounding Nagito Komaeda's famed luck.

"Well ok, but who else is onboard the team?"

"Chihiro has joined and so has Celeste, so that completes our lineup."

"So what's our competition like?" Makoto asked.

"Representing the 78th Class B are Kaito Momota the Ultimate Astronaut, Kokichi Oma the Ultimate Supreme Leader, Maki Harukawa the Ultimate Child Care Giver and finally Shuichi Saihara the other Ultimate Detective," Lelouch said going down the list of the competition from their year before listing the competition from the year above them. "From Class 77 we'll be facing Chiaki Nanami the Ultimate Gamer, Nagito Komaeda the Ultimate Lucky Student, Ryota Mitarai the Ultimate Animator and Sonia Nevermind the Ultimate Princess."

Makoto began sweating at the thought of their competition.

"From class 76 I hear will consist of Seiko, Ruruka Ando the Ultimate Confectioner, Sonosuke Izayoi the Ultimate Blacksmith and Miaya Gekkogahara, the Ultimate Therapist," Lelouch said. Although he was surprised to hear someone of Sonosuke's talent would be playing video games when he might've taken part in the combat-related tournaments.

Makoto was seemingly intimidated by their competition, but Lelouch noticed this and decided to reassure his fellow classmate.

"Relax the only competitors we should be worried about are Chiaki and Nagito given the stories I have heard about him."

Makoto was intrigued, "what kind of stories?"

"Apparently according to one that is spread around is that Nagito was kidnapped at a young age, before the occupation, by a serial killer," Lelouch explained before saying. "Details are sketchy, but he was released because there was no one able to pay the ransom. However, Nagito had found a winning lottery ticket inside of the trash bag he was abducted in winning over three million yen."

"That sounds oddly lucky for him."

"Yes, but it seems he tends to suffer from extreme bad luck and equally extreme good luck. I know the stories surrounding him are odd, but one of his classmates is convinced of this." Lelouch said recalling a discussion about Nagito they had when he and Chiaki began talking about their respective classmates. "It seems after suffering a stroke of bad luck he endures an equal amount of good luck in turn."

"Sounds more like a double edge sword."

"I suppose it is," Celeste said joining the conversation, "I was skeptical of his luck at first, but when I saw him in a gambling den playing Russian Roulette I began to change my opinion of his luck."

"He was in a gambling den?" Makoto asked out of curiosity.

"I believe Nagito was testing his luck, so he picked the most extreme way to do it."

"Makoto have you heard of Russian Roulette?" Lelouch asked, but he explained upon seeing Makoto shake his head in response. "The game involves the use of a revolver with all of its bullets, except for one removed, before the player gives the cylinder a spin and then places the gun against their own head."

Makoto's eyes went wide in shock as a mental image of someone putting a revolver to their head.

"Then they pull the trigger, so if they are still alive, they win."

"That's crazy!"

"It's surprisingly popular in some gambling circles in Area 11. I even played a few rounds of the game too." Celeste admitted very casually despite the obvious danger. "Of course that doesn't compare to Nagito who played with five out of six bullets loaded into the gun, and he survived each time despite the odds."

Makoto's jaw nearly dropped to the floor because it was hard for him to imagine _anyone_ surviving against those odds.

"I hope that convinces you why we would like you to be on our team," Lelouch asked before Celeste added.

"I am quite curious to see how the game will play out with two Ultimate Luck students in the mix and me."

 _So I am, and maybe these games will allow me to observe what kind of person he is._

Lelouch thought internally as he wondered if Nagito might be someone worth recruiting into the Black Knights, although his abnormal luck made a wild card of shorts.

* * *

 **Around the same time below Ashford Academy.**

* * *

"I like it," Junko exclaimed happily as she was conversing with Monokuma inside the secret control room hidden below Ashford Academy.

Strangely Junko wasn't controlling Monokuma this time, but instead, it was being controlled by her closest follower who remained at Ashford Academy using the neuro-cranial transmitter that was developed to make it easier to operate Monokuma using only a laptop instead of a large control room. This allowed the user to see, speak and hear through Monokuma as if it was their own body along with the mobility the mechanical bear offered.

"With this set up your appetite for despair will be satisfied and more," Monokuma exclaimed before hopping around at the prospect of the new Killing Game they had planned together.

"Thanks to this info you've shared with me about details of the Royal Family I should have plenty to work with by the time we begin the game," Junko replied before a malicious smile appeared on her face. "We only need to lure them to Area 11."

Suddenly Junko's phone began ringing, so after pulling it from her pocket, she glanced at the caller ID before answering it.

"Hello Karen," Junko greeted happily before she began quietly listening to Karen as she spoke to Junko, "is that so?"

Junko listened to Karen's response before saying, "Well keep me posted, and I'll see about handling this matter personally. Just make sure Yasuke is occupied since you are classmates, so you shouldn't have much trouble with that. I'll call you back later, see ya."

The Ultimate Despair shared one last exchange with Karen before hanging up on her.

"Who was that?" Monokuma inquired titling his head to one side.

"That was Karen Kisaragi, the Secretary of the Student Council of Hope's Peak Academy," Junko answered before she began to explain. "She is a spy and an informant I brought into the fold a long time ago when she joined Hope's Peak Academy as the Ultimate Secretary to be part of the Student Council."

"She is a member of Ultimate Despair?"

"Karen isn't a founding member or a full-time member, but she works for me. She helps me keep tabs on both the Student Council at Hope's Peak and Yasuke since they are both classmates." Junko explained and given that Tsumugi was in a different year and class than Yasuke it was only logical to assume that Junko needed someone who was in the same class as Yasuke to keep a close eye on him. "Joining Hope's Peak Academy is a great thing, but sometimes not everyone is happy for you."

Monokuma listened intently as Junko began to relate the story behind Karen's recruitment.

"It was before I left the Middle School division of Hope's Peak to enroll at Ashford Academy, and as fate would have it. I spotted a miserable and despairing Karen who I saw stagger her way to the roof of the main building, so I followed her," Junko said as a dark smile appeared on her face.

* * *

 **Roof of Hope's Peak Academy Main Campus Building, Two Years Ago.**

* * *

A young woman sixteen was trembling terribly, Karen Kisaragi, was dressed in the standard uniform for female students of the High School Division of Hope's Peak Academy. She possessed slightly curled green hair that touched her shoulders, blue-green eyes behind her thin framed oval-shaped glasses with a fair skin complexion.

Karen had opened the door to the roof, but after a moment of doubt and checking the rooftop to see if she was alone began walking towards the edge.

She had just gotten word her mother was murdered, although the police didn't know because they didn't care and she was told about it by a neighbor who explained that her mother was killed by her own father during a heated argument. They had been living in the ghetto, and her father was very adamant against the idea of becoming Honorary Britannians due to foolish Japanese pride as some might call it, but her mother was different as she wanted better for her own daughter.

One could imagine how divided her mother and father became when the latter learned his daughter had earned acceptance into Hope's Peak Academy despite the odds against her because of the rarity of an inhabitant of a ghetto being scouted.

Karen, at her mother's insistence, ran away from home to live in the dorms where she could at least lead a better life than merely rotting away in their crumbling house in the ghetto. It was only a short time ago she had gotten word of her mother's demise, and it didn't help that she had heard her father attempted to gain entry to the school to reclaim her daughter. Karen couldn't stand the idea of living the rest of her life with a man who insisted they suffer and rot in a crumbling home, but most of all the loss of the woman who pushed her to make something of her life had hit Karen very hard.

Enough to drive her to suicide.

As Karen stood on the edge looking down, she hesitated to make the final leap, but a voice behind her interrupted her thoughts.

"You know if you want to commit suicide then I suggest starving yourself to death," A fourteen-year-old Junko asked, she was dressed in a black variant of the Hope's Peak Academy uniform designed for those of the Middle School Division.

The older teen was stunned prompting her to look over her shoulder at the doorway where she saw Junko leaning against the open door frame with both arms folded over her chest.

"Why are you here?"

"Well seeing how much you were trembling and making your way up the stairs I am guessing you want an easy way out of this right?" Junko answered, but Karen didn't move from her spot. "I am going to wager that someone wasn't happy with your acceptance to this school were they? I mean I can't think of much else that could drive you to take the shortcut to the ground floor."

"So what," Karen snapped angrily, "what else do I have. I don't want to go back to the ghetto!"

"I see, so somebody doesn't want you here? Why don't you get rid of them?" Junko offered what seemed to be a simple suggestion, but the intent and implication was nothing remotely innocent.

The suggestion shocked Karen, but the worst part was how appealing the idea was.

"You throw yourself off and die, and your friends might cry a little, but you'll be forgotten in a few months," Junko said before adding with a devious smile. "Or you could deal with the problem, but I think it's not the only problem is it?"

Junko stepped out from the doorway and began walking towards Karen who contemplated jumping, but something in the back of her mind urged her to reconsider.

Karen knew that Junko had a point. Killing herself would only provide a way out, but her father wouldn't be punished for the murder he committed. She would just be forgotten, and nothing would change except her demise.

"If you are willing to go as far as killing yourself then what do you have to lose?"

Looking down at the ground far below for the last time before Karen stepped down from the ledge and collapsed into a sobbing heap at Junko's feet.

Junko couldn't help but smile her signature toothy grin.

* * *

"So after that Karen told me her dad killed her mom because he protested the idea of her going to Hope's Peak," Junko explained as she continued to tell the story to Monokuma and the one currently controlling him.

"Was her father one of those filled with Japanese pride that he refuses to become an Honorary Britannia?" Monokuma asked, prompting a confirmation nod from Junko.

"You bet, so after she spilled her heart out to me I asked Mukuro to provide some assistance," Junko explained before adding with a dark smile, "then she solved the issue of her father with a chainsaw. You should've seen the slasher smile she had as she craved up her own father. Karen was hesitant at first, but after reminding her of what her father did and that was all she needed."

"She must've really hated her old man to go that far."

"Yes, and she joined Ultimate Despair after I officially formed it becoming my official spy and informant on the Student Council," Junko commented before she showed Monokuma a picture of the Student Council on her smartphone while using her thumb to point out Karen to Monokuma.

Monokuma examined Karen but soon look at the other members of the council before realizing something.

"Just how long were you planning this harem?"

Junko raised an eyebrow.

"Come on don't hide it," Monokuma said dismissively waving a paw, "I feel that you were aiming for a female member of the Student Council from the start."

Junko merely grinned evilly, "You know I had my sights on him since we met as children, although I wasn't sure until he won the First Killing Game so I thought I should plan ahead just in case."

"Then you were looking at the other female members of the council?"

"Bingo," Junko answered before using the computer terminal behind her to bring up a photo and what information she had collected on the Student Council, some of which were updated with secrets collected by Karen over the last two years.

The first girl Junko decided to explain was a girl around the same age as Karen, but unlike most of the council seen in the group photo she stood out with a mocha skin tone, short brown hair, and bright blue eyes giving her a tomboy appearance. Like most female members of the council, as Monokuma noticed, she possessed an alluring figure.

"This one, Suzuko Kashiki, is quite the tomboy yet she is probably among the kinder and more compassionate members of the council. I didn't have much on her at the time to work with, so she was a no go," Junko said before adding with a smirk, "but through her parents, I might have something."

The next photo was the Student Council Vice President, who seemed very fiery in appearance and personality complemented her long red hair that flared out dramatically coupled with yellow eyes and a fair skin complexion. In addition to the school uniform, she wore a white headband, but different from Suzuko was the fact that the Vice President had a more voluptuous figure.

"The Vice President of the Student Council, Kotomi Ikuta, and this one is quite the live wire from what I gathered about her and a rebel to boot," Junko explained. "Like most of the Student Council, she came from a Japanese Family that was well connected and wealthy before Japan became Area 11, and those connections and wealth helped them out a lot after the war. However, Kotomi hated how her family acted, so she grew up into a rebel with a personality to match that hairstyle. Out of the council, she is probably ranked two in sex appeal."

 _Was ranking sex appeal_ _that important_ _?_

The one controlling Monokuma at present thought, but decided against asking further.

"And if you are wondering who is number one regarding sex appeal among the council members," Junko said knowing the subject was a bit unnerving for the one controlling Monokuma at the moment.

The next photo was an eighteen-year-old teenager with medium-length light magenta hair styled into a pair of small buns while the rest was left to hang free with a red bow on top of her head. She had a fair skin complexion with light violet eyes and as Junko noted she was quite beautiful and possessed what Monokuma judged to be an athletic young woman born with a willowy frame with a stunning figure that was to guarantee to have plenty of men eyeing her.

"Behold Kiriko Nishizawa, the most attractive member of the Student Council," Junko said before adding, "well not as attractive as me, but it's shocking she hasn't landed herself a boyfriend yet."

"Wait," Monokuma said recognizing the name, "wasn't she that girl who worked as an extra posing for photos to launch a new line of swimwear awhile back?"

"Yep," Junko answered, "which was why she was my first choice to corrupt and make into my spy and informant on the Student Council. I met her a few times, so I didn't have a personal relationship to work with. She has one of the guys on the council eying her, but the poor sap hasn't made a move yet. Lelouch would've appreciated having a bombshell for a lover alongside yours truly as a package deal."

"And you thought you could bring him some despair by having become a lover for Lelouch instead?" Monokuma asked although Junko didn't answer immediately, her smirk was enough of an answer.

"Maybe, although it probably would've amounted to much," Junko said shrugging her shoulders before showing another profile and photo of the second to last female member of the Student Council.

The next girl was eighteen like the rest, even though her short height might suggest she was younger than she was, but she quite youthful in appearance with wavy brown hair, blue and green eyes thanks to heterochromia with a fair skin complexion and a perpetual blush on her cheeks. Her uniform was modified from the standard school attire with a yellow rabbit hoodie, and black socks with white slippers that have a bow on the instep.

"I think puberty was not kind to her, but she makes up for it by having a serious cuteness factor going on for her. Her name is Aiko Umesawa," Junko said before adding an explanation, "she is probably the most naive and childish of the council and someone I am sure I could've brought over to our side, but it might've taken too long."

Then Junko displayed the last female member of the Student Council who was quite beautiful much like most of the members possessing long blonde hair, blue eyes and a fair skin complexion with a gentle and dignified appearance.

"Last and not least Tsubasa Kamii," Junko said as she sounded disappointed, "now this one was completely in love with another council member before coming to Hope's Peak Academy. Furthermore, she and her boyfriend are almost clean as their folks who have no skeletons in their closet that I could really work with."

"I imagine the rest of the council is just as varied," Monokuma noted, but at the same time was ensuring the conversation was steered away talking about sex appeal. "Do you have any other plans for them?"

"Not right now, but for now Karen is keeping tabs on them. I might make use of the other members depending on how things play out, but for now, I got a date with the Ultimate Animator."

* * *

In the office of Viceroy Cornelia stood her two most trusted men, including Guilford who miraculously survived the attempt on his life standing next to Dalton. Both men were standing at attention before the desk Viceroy Cornelia was currently seated behind. Cornelia was stone-faced, but her two subordinates knew she was still furious about what had happened four days ago. As it to complicate matters, Cornelia had a more pressing concern to deal with because her investigators finished the task she had given them, and upon her desk was piles of documents and reports that were more akin to phonebooks stacked upon her desk.

"I don't mean to disrespect dead family members, but my brother was the worse choice for Viceroy to Govern Area 11," Cornelia commented although she loved Clovis like a brother she couldn't deny he was clearly unsuited for ruling an Area. "It's no wonder terrorists have been running rampant because something idiotic like this happens."

Cornelia was gesturing to the pile of reports collected by various investigators she had called from the Homeland to conduct an investigation of Area 11's military and government power structure. She suspected correctly that terrorists had been likely bribing various officials while others probably willingly sold information and weapons to them for their own personal gain.

Regrettably, it wasn't uncommon in some Areas, but for Area 11 Cornelia saw that such corruption was a lot worse than she realized.

This was thanks to how Area 11's military and government power structures were organized and a distinct eyesore was the fact that the regional commanders of Area 11, there were a total of five regions, held too much power and authority for her liking. Cornelia believed that control should be more centralized in an Area, although it was okay for the regional commanders to have the extra power and authority in the event of an emergency, which was a key factor for the problem before her. Every Area and the Viceroy it was under was given absolute discretion after they are provided soldiers from the homeland to fulfill their duties, and Clovis's mismanagement of Area 11 had done more harm than good.

"I don't even know how we can clean this mess up," Cornelia said with a cold voice that held some repressed anger. "We would have to restructure the entire government and military from the ground up to clean this up."

An incompetent superior could ruin the morale of a hundred men, which was a situation Cornelia wanted to avoid.

The reports detailed unjust personnel movements and promotions using blood connections and money, which Cornelia discovered was thanks to information and weapons being sold to terrorists by people within the government and military who used said money to buy their positions. If it were possible, Cornelia would've had them all arrested for treason, but then she would spend months rebuilding the government and military power structure as a result.

It was a costly setback she couldn't afford especially when she had Zero, Ultimate Despair, and other terrorists to deal with.

"Then why not judge them on ability?" Guilford suggested tactfully.

"Ability," Cornelia asked.

"Even though their method of reaching their post was questionable there may be some who have served their post humbly and proven effective? Perhaps as a temporary solution, we should leave those who have proven themselves worthy of their position and remove those unfit."

Dalton intervened, although he knew this was their best option, "that would leave fairness of the bureau in question. I suggest we should investigate the past performance of the suspicious ones and balance their achievements with the crime. Naturally, we should make it known that the various heads of personnel were punished so it can help drive our point home."

"An interesting idea, but it would look as if we're playing favorites as well," Cornelia said agreeing with their idea, but it needed some adjustments to be more efficient.

"Demotions will apply to everyone, but we should keep the able ones where they are. I believe they should receive new letters of appointment for those who stay. It would be just a formality, but it would hold water." Dalton suggested as a means of reinforcing their authority, it wasn't a morally correct choice yet it was the only route open to them.

It wasn't a perfect solution, but it was their best option if they wanted to move onto dealing with more pressing matters in Area 11.

"Now what was this report regarding The Great Japan Soten Party?"

The Great Japan Soten Party was one of the larger terrorist organizations operating in Area 11. They were not as large as Ultimate Despair and the Japan Liberation Front, but they were among the most extreme regarding anti-Britannian sentiment. They were primarily active in the Chubu Region of Area 11, but even their claims were ridiculous, they did not discriminate as they willingly attacked civilian and military targets employing the use of children as suicide bombers and soldiers that earned the disgust of many on both sides.

Following the incident involving Suzaku Kuurugui on the highway coupled with Zero's first appearance, the organization took advantage of the chaos caused by Ultimate Despair becoming more active and increasingly brutal in their attacks. Word had reached Cornelia that members of their group were reportedly becoming active in the Toyko Settlement, although nothing has happened yet it was enough to put Cornelia on alert.

With everything that happened recently, the Goddess of Victory saw no reason not to take any chances.

* * *

It was early afternoon as a young man with light brown hair, hazel eyes and a somewhat pale complexion with slight bags under his eyes wearing the standard Hope's Peak Academy Uniform with a red scarf wrapped around his neck was walking down the sidewalk.

His name was Ryota Mitarai, the True Ultimate Animator.

No one, except a few, knew that the Ultimate Animator attending Class-77 was, in fact, the Ultimate Imposter who had assumed Ryota's identity so he could dedicate himself to the development of a unique anime he hoped would bring hope to the world. Only his classmate, Mikan, was recently made aware of the switch between the two because the Ultimate Imposter ironically lacked an identity of his own being dependant on imitating others, had brought Mikan to Ryota's apartment to treat him when he nearly overworked himself to death.

Not eating properly and sleeping, dedicating every waking minute of his life, to perfecting his anime to bring hope to the world had nearly contributed to his demise had it not been for the Ultimate Nurse's intervention.

As a result, Ryota was required to visit the academy's hospital, at Mikan's insistence, for checkups to ensure a repeat of what had nearly happened to him wouldn't happen again.

His friend, the Ultimate Neurologist, was the only person who knew about his secret and one whom Ryota sought advice from regarding ways to simulate and even manipulate the human brain using animation and sound. It was thanks to his connections that he could receive his check-ups and much-needed treatment without drawing attention that would expose his secret. This was helped by the fact that the academy hospital was where its medical related research labs were located, including its Neurology Lab.

Little did he realize it was Yasuke Matsuda's actions that would've brought him to the attention of the last person he should ever meet.

 _The sooner I get this done the better,_ Ryota thought as he approached the hospital wishing to get it done and over with so he could return to work.

Walking outside on cue was Junko Enoshima with Tsumugi Shirogane following right behind her. Unfortunately for Ryota, because Yasuke attended school as part of Class-77 B while Ryota was part of Class-77 A the student council composed most of Class-77 B where Karen would inform Junko of his meeting with Ryota. Through learning about the subject matter, they discussed allowing Junko to deduce what Yasuke was plotting.

As they passed by one another Junko spun around grabbing Ryota by his scarf to address him with a blank expression.

"Who are you?"

Ryota was feeling understandably nervous at the encounter, but he managed an answer.

"I am Ryota Mitarai, and you are?"

Mere seconds later, Junko became excited before proceeding to hug Ryota against his will, although he was utterly baffled by her reaction Ryota couldn't get free of her.

"What an unexpected encounter," Junko mused although it was a lie, "I am Junko Enoshima the Ultimate Fashionista, so what do you got? What cool talent you got?"

"Me," Ryota was hesitant, but he answered, "I am the Ultimate Animator."

Junko appeared to be disappointed by Ryota's answer.

"They let you in for that? If I were a huge otaku, I would've been impressed by you."

"You think anime is just for nerds?" Ryota asked.

"Well obviously," Junko replied flatly.

"Anime is a critical part of our culture," Ryota snapped displaying a far more passionate side.

"Wow, he is just going all out because I disrespected anime," Junko said with an amused laugh, but this was what Junko was hoping for to create a way to see his project.

"Oh yeah, but once my project is finished you won't be laughing!"

"Really," Junko said moving closer to him to the point she was looming over him, "ok I accept your challenge, so bring it on."

* * *

Around the same time at the track and field of Hope's Peak Academy, two people were standing in the middle of the field wearing their gym attire consisting of a white shirt and blue shorts, although for Mukuro she wore athletic style burumā (bloomers) while Lelouch wore shorts as common for male students. The very idea that Lelouch Lamperouge would be in gym clothes would be perplexing for anyone who knew him, especially Mukuro who was understandably confused, but Lelouch had a reason.

"Why did you ask to meet me out here in our gym attire Lelouch?"

"Recent events made it clear that some changes are going to become necessary for me as my plans move forward so," Lelouch explained before pausing to let out a heavy sigh, "I think I'll need to get into better shape for what lies ahead."

Lelouch dispised physical education, which was contributed to the fact that he lacked proper endurance. However after reflecting on what had nearly happened to him recently coupled with Junko and C.C.'s scoldings Lelouch knew it would be best if he sought to improve his body as well.

 _Maybe at the very least, Junko won't be able to use Mukuro to restrain me so effortlessly._

However, Lelouch knew working out alone wouldn't be enough, and knowing it could take months and maybe years to develop his body he devised a way to speed up the process.

"I don't disagree with that, but isn't your body," Mukuro said as she allowed the sentence to trail off because she couldn't find the right words.

"Weak and possessing terrible endurance," Lelouch said flatly before revealing a bottle filled with a glowing purple liquid. "Yeah and I know training my body could take a very long time. So I sought some help from Seiko recently."

* * *

It had happened right after Lelouch had met Seiko and sampled her enhancer, so after learning of where she spent her days he sought out the young woman. He explained his intentions to Seiko seeking something that could help improve his body, but unlike her enhancer, these improvements would be permanent.

"You want to become stronger?"

"Well I am not expecting to become superhuman or anything, but after you saw how I performed at physical education, I want to get into better shape. However knowing my own limitations that could take years or because of my endurance, or lack of, it would be nearly impossible for me." Lelouch explained to Seiko as she sat at a lab table with a chemistry set before her with Lelouch standing to her right.

Seiko pondered the question for a moment before she answered, "I think I could make something that would help you greatly. This concoction would need to be designed to minimize exertion of the muscles while encouraging muscle growth and improvements in endurance."

Seiko's voice dropped to a whisper as she was contemplated details that Lelouch felt he probably wasn't equipped to grasp given her understanding of chemistry alone likely outstretched what he knew.

"I got," Seiko said before dropping her fist in an upright palm as part of the eureka moment she just had, "come see me again in a few days, and I'll have something."

"What is your price?"

"Well nothing really, but…"

"I appreciate that, but I do feel I should compensate you for your time."

"I don't usually charge for my services."

"How about if you need anything from me and if it's within my power to do I'll do it for you."

Seiko considered, putting her right index finger under her chin, this for a moment, "that sounds fair enough."

* * *

Seiko filled on her promise and made a supply of her new concoction she dubbed Contestant, which as long as Lelouch took a dose before each work out would in a matter of months significantly improve his physical strength and endurance.

However, only getting into shape wasn't Lelouch's only intention.

"Then why call me out here?"

"I would like your assistance, but not only in helping me improve physically I wish to learn from you."

"Huh," Mukuro said before realized dawned on her what Lelouch wanted. "You want me to train you and teach you hand to hand combat techniques."

Lelouch confirmed her question with a nod before explaining, "Yes, because you have taught me a lot about your experiences on the battlefield and about weapons so with your help I want to push that further."

"I see," Mukuro said now that she had a better understanding of Lelouch's intentions of her becoming his personal trainer. Upon adopting a more serious expression, she offered, "very well let us begin then."

* * *

Later that afternoon as the sun was beginning to set Junko and Tsumugi followed Ryota to his home located in the old dorm buildings on the outskirts of the academy. His room was filled with various tools and computer equipment for creating animation as well a remarkable anime collection that brought a smile to Tsumugi's face.

Junko and Tsumugi had just finished watching Ryota's anime which was designed to inspire hope within people, although it was incomplete by his own admission.

"So what do you think? I know it's a work in progress since most of it is just line art."

His audience was silent for a moment before Junko burst into tears with a blush on her face.

"That was the greatest piece of animation I have ever seen in my life," Junko said between tears of joy, "this anime will redefine the genre reducing everything else I have seen to pure garbage."

"Not even that anime about magical girls being deceived by an evil mascot-like creature or that anime where," Tsumugi said before losing her voice to the tears of joy she was crying. "It's the greatest anime ever!"

"Huh, but how are you friends with someone who disliked anime," Ryota asked although he was pleased with the results he got from their viewing he was confused by Tsumugi who apparently had a love for anime and yet knew someone who disliked it.

"I have been working on her to see the light that is anime, but your anime accomplished what I have been trying to do," Tsumugi answered after regaining enough of her composure to explain.

At that moment Junko hurried off to the tall shelves holding Ryota's entire collection of anime armed with a broom she pulled out from the closest.

"We don't need you any more third-rate anime we need to destroy it all, so nothing will get in its way!" Junko said as she prepared to destroy Ryota's collection, but Tsugumi intervened restraining Junko from behind.

"Please reconsider," Tsugumi pleaded almost frantically, "I know this anime pales in comparison to what we just watched, but some of those are classics and anime is already an endangered species in Area 11 because of the occupation."

It took a few minutes, but Junko calmed down and lowered the broom much to Tsugumi's relief.

"Now how did your anime have such an effect on us," Junko asked regaining her senses, "you put something into that anime didn't you?"

Ryota smiled proudly, "well just look at it. The smoking gun is right there if you know what to look for then you'll see how I influenced the viewer's brain."

"Subliminal manipulation, so which one is it? Are you using visual or audio subliminal techniques?"

"All of them," Ryota revealed, "subtle changes in color changes the visual cortex, guiding the eye in certain directions which enriches the viewer's memories while the use of sound can heighten one's focus. Any trick I know I put into this anime, although people call it brainwashing it's no different how people use gunpowder. You can make a bomb or a beautiful firework, so I want to use my anime to make the world a better place."

Out of view of Ryota's line of sight, Junko adopted a sinister toothy grin.

"Really, because I want to change the world too so I might be willing to help you out."

"You want to help me?"

"Yeah I got money and lots of it, so I can get you whatever you need. Just would you mind just keeping this arrangement and the fact you met my friend and me here secret?" Junko asked because all she needed now was to ensure that Yasuke didn't find out that she was onto him.

 _Yasuke you naughty boy teaching this kid how to brainwash people._ Junko thought as she realized Yasuke was likely using Ryota to make a video that could purge despair out of people, which could be used against her.

Junko made a mental note to deal with Yasuke in good time, but for now, she intended to keep up unaware of her plans to use Ryota's own animation for her own purposes.

* * *

Back at the track field Lelouch dropped to one knee clearly exhausted from exercising and training with Mukuro all afternoon. To his credit, the medicine Seiko made for him was working. Lelouch was able to endure the entire afternoon training proving the effectiveness of Seiko's custom concoction she had made for him. Mukuro was still standing with clear signs of training with Lelouch to help him get more physically fit, but she planned to save the combat training until Lelouch was in fair shape.

"Seiko's concoction has really proven itself," Mukuro said impressed by the results.

"Indeed, which is why if the opportunity presents itself I would like her to join the Black Knights. What she could offer my organization would be limitless regarding military and humanitarian uses alone." Lelouch said as he considered the possibilities since her creations could not only boost the combat performance of his followers, but it could provide invaluable medicine to his men in the field and even provide relief opportunities for humanitarian endeavors to improve relations with the people of Japan.

"Should we plan to do this again tomorrow?"

"Yes, but tomorrow morning I am going to meet with Ohgi and the others to present our new mobile base of operations."

"A mobile base?"

"Yes, I managed to obtain a vehicle that can serve as a mobile headquarters. My Geass covered up any potential loose ends, so there are no strings attached."

"I see," Mukuro said before asking, "should I come along?"

"Yes, because your new uniform should be ready tomorrow morning, so the timing is perfect," Lelouch said as he finally regained enough strength to stand up. "We'll meet here tomorrow morning for training since my afternoon and nights are likely to become more active."

* * *

The following morning Ohgi followed by Kallen, and the other members of their resistance group arrived at a large parking lot in the middle of the Toyko Concession Area, although the parking lot was deserted for the most part it didn't ease the nervousness of those accompanying Ohgi and Kallen. They approached a large black, purple and golden trimmed truck with a built-in trailer that was two stories, which was usually used by members of the nobility as a luxurious mode of transportation.

Ohgi hesitantly opened the door, finding that it was unlocked.

"Welcome," Zero's voice greeted from inside as he was sitting on a curved sofa at the rear of the trailer, "please come in."

Ohgi was the first to walk inside to discover the interior was surprisingly spacious that included a living room with a table and another sofa before a sizeable wall-size television monitor. There were stairs near the rear leading up to a second floor where additional rooms were likely located.

"From now on this will be our headquarters," Zero announced as Kallen and the others in their company soon walked into the trailer with the last one inside closing the door behind them.

"So you think joining together is a good idea?" Ohgi inquired.

"Yes, because we are comrades after all and I think we can do much more working together," Zero admitted before Ohgi had another question.

"Would you mind if I ask how you got this?" Ohgi asked gesturing to the trailer they were standing in.

"I obtained this from a nobleman who indulges my requests."

"You just bought it just like that?"

"Don't worry," Zero said hoping to put his new allies at ease, "there are no strings attached. I made sure of that."

"This thing is huge," Tamaki complimented as members of Ohgi's group began exploring the interior.

"On the other hand, no one would ever suspect us using something like this as a base," Kallen said seeing the logic behind using something a nobleman would be more likely seen in as a mobile base for a resistance group.

"Before anything else, I would like to introduce you all to a close associate of mines." Zero offered as he gestured for Mukuro to walk down the stairs to introduce herself to Ohgi and the others.

Mukuro was wearing the new combat uniform Tsugumi had designed for her using materials Lelouch had provided while Mukuro had provided some input wishing for something more akin to a combat uniform with functionality in mind.

It shared similarities with Lelouch's Zero outfits, but it was more tactical in the sense that it was all black and the mask, although similar to Zero's mask was designed to be a useful tool. Using parts, Lelouch obtained at Tsugumi's request she created a mask with a voice-altering package coupled with options for night vision and ultraviolet vision with a communications device built in with flitters to protect from smoke and toxic fumes.

Some of the components were not easy to obtain, even with his Geass, but Lelouch felt the effort would be worth it.

Her uniform was a modified battle dress uniform with black and dark gray camouflage with all-terrain combat boots. She wore a black combat vest with various pockets and pouches made out of kevlar, and a belt with holsters for her two combat knives, a pistol with extra magazines, and additional small bags holding various tools.

Tsugumi also took the time to design and create some uniforms for Ohgi and the others, which Lelouch had in boxes in one of the upstairs rooms.

"Greetings I am Null," Mukuro greeted using the code name she and Lelouch talked about that she would use while working with him. The voice changer in her mask disguised her voice adding an echo.

"Not a very imaginative code name," Tamaki commented.

"Well I am sure her abilities in combat might change your opinion, but right now we have some work ahead of us." Lelouch, as Zero, said as he stood up to begin giving out instructions while working to lay the foundations of the Black Knights.

* * *

Meanwhile across the Toyko Settlement within the four-story mansion that belonged to one of Area 11's most noteworthy noble family sat Junko in a chair before a blonde haired middle aged man wearing a black suit with a matching vest and a red tie. He had blonde hair and purple eyes with a fair skin complexion.

"So Daddy I thought you'd be happy with how things have been going, especially since my Killing Game got rid of a few eyesores just as you wanted," Junko said with a pleasant smile as she spoke to her father.

Her father was fully aware of the fact she was the leader of Ultimate Despair because he had helped her to first bankroll her efforts to establish it as well as providing her the additional means using his connections as one of Area 11's most prominent and wealthiest noblemen. It had been he who had also helped Mukuro and Junko after Japan became Area 11. This included assisting Junko to establish her modeling career leading to her acceptance into Hope's Peak while arranging for Mukuro to join Fennir enabling her to become the Ultimate Solider.

He was neck deep in all of Junko's schemes, despite his own reluctance in helping her.

"I had never expected your Killing Game would cause such collateral damage."

"If you are talking about that whole setting off a violent civil war in the Chinese Federation then maybe someone should've gotten me some better intel." Junko shot back while rolling her eyes at her father before slipping out of the cup of tea she was holding.

Junko's father merely sighed in defeat, but he was in too deep to back out now. However, he knew that Junko growing up into the Ultimate Despair was his responsibility for leaving her and Mukuro.

"Besides you will be happy to hear that things between Lelouch and me are moving along swimmingly. I am sure by the end of the year you'll have a new son in law. I am thinking of setting him up with a harem to show how much I love him."

Her father suspected Junko had an alternative motive for that, but he decided against questioning her daughter about it.

"Somehow I don't think Lelouch would be the type to accept a harem. He might view it as something that would just get in the way."

"Well that didn't stop you from knocking up my mother and leaving her with Mukuro and yours truly," Junko pointed out before adding, "but we both know we weren't the only women you bedded. So you are hardly one to talk."

Junko's father had no counter to that, which only made him curse his foolishness in his younger days.

"Besides," Junko began as he bushed off his misgivings, "Britannia has laws that make it totally acceptable for a Britannian with enough status and money to have a harem. They just need a wife who is either Britannia or a half-blood with enough connections who manages said harem and then he can have as many mistresses their status and rank in nobility will allow."

No voice of disapproval came from her father, so Junko added something else to her argument.

"Of course even Japan had a few laws no one knew about that allowed someone to have a harem, but that was only because of the Togami Family who slipped those laws in. Just so the Head of the Togami Family could knock up _exceptional_ women whose children would compete with his other offspring to determine the next Family Head that a certain classmate of mines who won that battle of succession."

"I suppose I can do little to stop you, but if he accepts it, then I see little reason to oppose it."

"Well you aren't wrong that he would be against the idea, but yes you are right that he would see having a harem as more of a disadvantage that might tie him down when waging his war against Britannia. Of course, I am sure knowing that he could fail and end up dead is another reason he has avoided relationships in general," Junko said before adding another factor behind Lelouch's refusal of a harem. "Other than the whole fact that he is really a Britannian Prince who faked his death that could be a problem if the wrong people found out."

"Knowing the truth behind Lelouch is what gave you such a huge advantage in establishing a relationship with him?"

"Oh yes, it has," Junko admitted with a smile, "but I got my eye on a few women who might fit nicely for him and help push him forward with his goals to bring Britannia down."

 _Maybe I could kill one or two of them to give Lelouch some despair, but perhaps the boring ones._ Junko thought darkly.

On the other hand, Junko did see having a harem as a way to keep her relationship with Lelouch more exciting, and it did open the door for some additional benefits such as adding an extra dose of kinky during nights in the bedroom.

 _I would just need to bring in the right girl to help Lelouch accept the idea of having a harem of his own, but which girl would be best for that job. Of course, that will come after I lose my virginity to him. Maybe I'll make a big thing about it to Yasuke to drive him to despair before I murder him for trying to backstab me._

Junko's father wondered how did his daughter turn into such a highly intelligent murdering psychopath that was apparently a hedonist that only fuel her depravity.

"Anyway, dad when do you plan on telling my half-sister about Mukuro and me? I mean you hid the fact we are your daughters from just about everyone in this household."

Junko's father sighed, he was concerned how she would take it, but he knew it was something he couldn't side-step forever.

"Soon, but I don't think today is a good time."

"Ok," Junko said with a toothy grin appeared on her face, "but I am looking forward to how she'll react."

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater:**

Monokuma was seen sitting in a large leather chair inside a library with an old fashion environment complete with a roaring fireplace. He wore a red robe wearing a pair of glasses while an old fashion pipe could be seen in his mouth.

"You know we all of this talk about Harems why haven't we seen any women with harems of their own." Monokuma asked looking through an old book, "I mean sure there are plenty of harems, but a big majority of them are ones with a guy and a lot of women."

The two-tone bear shrugged his shoulders, "I mean I am sure figuring out who the father is might be a huge pain in the ass, but maybe the problem is that not a lot of guys might not like sharing one woman or unless you got some that might be swinging both ways. I guess there might be more problems with a harem involving one girl and a lot of men, or maybe keeping it to two would be a safer bet."

Monokuma suddenly tossed the book into the fire, "well I guess we'll never have a good answer."

* * *

A/N: Well given the subject of harems came up I tried to come up with something that Monokuma might mention, and that would seem typical of him. Although writing it was a bit harder than I thought because I was worried I might offend someone by accident (which is my intent to never offend anyone).

Anyway, the Great Japan Soten party was a terrorist group that appeared in the Light Novels as did the issue Cornelia was faced with. I plan for the group to play a role in the coming chapters.

On the matter of harems I do have some grave concerns as I have echoed in the past that Junko could kill harem members just to make Lelouch taste despair (although C.C. would be safe from this given her immorality), but on the other hand death might be a more humane way out given what else Junko could do to them. It might be safer to keep it to just Mukuro and Junko or just one of them (personally I rather avoid a harem), because involving anyone else could be dangerous.

Now I do have a poll I threw up to gauge which ones could make good candidates, because I am curious. Keep in mind my warning through and there is no promise I'll do it, but since this is Junko I might as well weigh my options.

Let it not be said that I didn't warn you guys.

And no that is not why I am bringing in the Student Council just to kill them off or including some of its female members as harem candidates. If I did decide to kill anyone in the harem, then it would be someone no one would expect and whose death would serve the story.

Now I have hidden the identity of Junko's father (who is a Code Geass character, not an OC) to make the reveal and who the Third Despair Sister might be, and she doesn't know it either, more shocking.

I did the same thing against with Junko's insider at Ashford Academy with he/she controlling Monokuma as a way to hide he/she without revealing said true identity. That is one I want to save for the right time to show who it is.

Furthermore, I have no intention of using Ryota or instead of his animation in the same way the series handled it. Although I did figure that Yasuke given his actions in Danganronpa Zero would've been more likely to help Ryota with learning brainwashing techniques to create his anime which he would've used on Junko as a way to stop her. I have something more insidious and useful in mind for Ryota's animation once Junko starts making her own, but I won't say anything to avoid spoilers.

The Second Killing Game will come as soon as all prep is complete, and trust me for what I got planned a lot of prep is needed.


	16. Chapter 16 The Road to Hell

A/N: Thank you all to everyone who reviewed the last chapter and for those who have voted so far on the poll. It helps me with weighing my options because how things go between Junko, Lelouch and Mukuro will be a deciding factor for a lot of things which I cannot explain without revealing some spoilers for later on. Such factors that could be affected would be the harem size, those involved and etc.

Other pairings so far will be…(how specific events in the story will change them.)

Makoto with Kyoko or Toko

Gundham and Sonia (she would fit better with him than Lelouch, only because he wouldn't have to worry about being stuck ruling her nation alongside him, and the fact I am kinda a fan of this pairing too.)

Izuru Kamakura and Chiaki Nanami

This chapter takes care of that and covers some introductions while taking care of the official formation of the Black Knights setting us up for some recruitments next chapter and some clashes between the Black Knights and a particular group.

02/15/2018: edited and cleaned up.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their_ _mind._ _"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

 **The Road to Hell**

Crouched on the ground and carefully crawling through tall grass was a group of four students, one of them had purple hair styled into a usual spiky hairdo. He possessed a matching short goatee with lilac eyes wearing a light brown and brown pattern BDU (Battle Dress Uniform) with black boots while armed with an assault rifle. He was Kaito Momota, the leader of the team representing his class as his other two teammates were following behind him.

She was the only girl in the group with long brown hair, styled into two long pigtails with a fair skin complexion with red eyes. She wore a uniform identical to Kaito, as did the rest of the teams involved, while armed with a crossbow. Her name was Maki Harukawa, and behind her taking up the rear armed with an old Tommy gun was Shuichi Saihara while carrying a frying pan.

Shuichi was a pale young woman with black hair with a small ahoge on top with gray eyes.

"Damn it I wish Kokichi didn't run off like that," Kaito muttered as he and rest of his team carefully made their way through the tall grass while trying to avoid drawing attention to themselves.

Kokichi Oma, the Ultimate Supreme leader, was probably shortest of their group with purple hair, a pale complexion with purple eyes. Upon obtaining a shotgun and a sniper rifle, he split off from the ground to wander off alone.

"You know I can hear you thanks to the team chat," Kokichi pointed out teasingly. "I got to say this is quite the video game, the VR they set up for this really adds a sense of realism to the game."

The game they were playing was based on a famous online multiplayer game where a team of four would be randomly dropped off on a large island filled with buildings, bunkers, roads, and forests. They would enter with no weapons except for their fists, but guns could be found in the buildings along with armor, backpacks to help them carry more, medical kits and vehicles to transverse the map more easily. As an added challenge the play area would begin shrinking until a minimum space remains to force players to stay within the allowed play area. Otherwise, they will die outside of it until one team is left standing.

A team is out once all of their members are killed, so it was possible for one player to win if he or she is alive.

To make the game more interesting for the Sports Festival, especially for the Video Game Tournament for those not athletically capable to take part in the regular sports events. The school decided to use it to showcase the new Virtual Reality technology Hope's Peak Academy was developing to provide a more impressive display for both those taking part and those watching to make it into a spectacle.

"Should we stick together?" Shuichi offered logically.

"Not when our fearless leader thinks crouching and moving through a grassy plain in a wide open area is a bad idea, it's basically saying, please shoot me!" Kokichi replied.

"I don't like agreeing with him," Maki began calmly, "but we should've kept to the trees where we had more cover and shadows can hide us better."

"He might have a point there," Shuichi said seeing little reason to argue against Kokichi's logic of having not wanted to follow Kaito into a large open area despite the tall grass providing some cover. "I feel a little exposed out here."

"Well, it might not help because we might have the Student Council Team gunning for us," Kokichi said with a matter of fact tone much to the annoyance of his team.

"What the hell did you do now you Ultimate Prankster?" Kaito snapped.

"Ultimate Supreme Leader," Kokichi corrected, "and to answer your question I might've sent the Ultimate Toymaker, Ryōta Someya, and some of his friends some toad grease."

"That story sounds very incomplete," Shuichi suspected given how much of a compulsive liar Kokichi was to the point that no one could really tell when Kokichi was telling the truth or lying. "I am going to wager that gift exploded or left some kind of mess that has the Student Council out for blood against you."

Kokichi was, unsurprisingly, silent before answering, "Maybe."

"Oh great," Kaito grumbled.

* * *

Meanwhile, in another corner of the map, Lelouch led his team consisting of Makoto, Celeste, and Chihiro into an underground bunker the group had come across deciding to explore it for weapons and possibly take shelter inside since it appeared to be a promising defendable position. The underground bunker contained weapons and armor pieces the group wasted no time claiming, but after Lelouch finished obtaining an assault rifle along with a sniper rifle, he began exploring the rest of the bunker to verify if there were any other exits besides the one they used.

Sure enough, Lelouch found another exit in the back of the bunker that led up to the surface.

"We'll wait it out in here for awhile since we are well within the play area. Celeste and Makoto, you two cover the entrance we came in from while Chihiro and I will cover the back exit here. Shoot anyone you see trying to enter." Lelouch commanded composedly.

"We got it covered," Makoto replied as he and Celeste were armed with their weapons made their way to the entrance to guard it.

"No one has been reported killed yet," Celeste noted.

"It's still early, but that will change." Lelouch answered before adding, "So, for now, we'll wait it out and let the other teams take care of one another so we can mop up whoever is left."

"It's a wise tactic, but can we really spend all of our time here?" Celeste inquired as she and Makoto watched the entrance.

"We'll stay until the game forces us out, but hopefully by then the number of enemies has been thinned out." Lelouch pointed out while wondering which team will engage who first.

It would be a long wait, but in the meantime, Lelouch couldn't help to wonder.

 _I wonder how Junko is doing?_

* * *

Junko Enoshima had chosen to represent her class in table tennis, although Junko didn't care if she won or lost she would do whatever could bring her the most despair. Not to mention that competing on her own would mean that there would be no one to save her making the situation all the more despair-inducing.

Facing her would be Miu from Class 78 B.

 _If I lost to her of all_ _people,_ _then that would bring me some sweet despair._

Miu stood opposite of Junko with a tennis table between them, although Junko said nothing Miu began with a verbal assault.

"What the fuck are you staring at? Jealous that I got a hot body, or do you have a fucking screw loose to go with those loose hips because you can't stand how fucking hot I am." Miu boasted proudly as she flaunted her sex appeal without shame.

"Oh losing to you would be just _terrible_ for me," Junko replied seeing a good chance for some despair.

"Huh, are you mocking me?" Miu snapped before pointing her right index finger at Junko angrily, "Don't you know who I am? I am Miu Iruma, bitch! Your boobs seem big and all, but don't get cocky because mines are bigger!"

After that comment, Junko changed her mind because losing to her wouldn't be despair-inducing it would be unacceptable for her in more ways than one.

"Ok, I _really_ don't want to lose to you because you'll make a big deal out of it if you won."

Miu readied her tennis paddle before shouting, "BRING IT ON BITCH!"

* * *

Across Area 11 near Mount Fuji, a train was speeding along towards a train stop located near their destination was the Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center Hotel, which built upon the lake Itself to provide a scene of view for those staying there. It was the destination for Milly Ashford with her friends Nina and Shirley. The trio was dressed in casual wear with Milly wearing a light blue dress with a white buttoned top. Shirley wore a slightly more modest green dress with a white long sleeve jacket.

Nina, on the other hand, was dressed much more modesty wearing plum-colored trousers with brown shoes and matching socks. She wore a wine red button up shirt with a plum vest and a matching beret.

"I've never been outside of the settlement before," Shirley exclaimed happily, "this is so exciting."

"We can stay up late doing whatever we want including talk about which boys we like," Milly said causing Shirley to become instantly suspicious of her.

"Then _you'll_ have a lot to talk about won't you?"

Milly grinned mischievously before saying, "Who can say."

At that moment the train passed through a tunnel causing Nina to nearly suffer a panic attack. During her early days at the academy, Nina Einstein had the misfortune of ending up in one of the ghettos where she ran afoul of one of the Japanese gangs, although she survived the encounter with her life the experience left her traumatized and with acute xenophobia.

Milly quickly responded by kneeling down before Nina, placing both hands upon hers in a comforting fashion.

"It's alright Nina," Milly offered gently, "there are plenty of Britannian tourists at Lake Kawaguchi, and so security is fine. It's not like the ghettos."

"Yes, but..."

"We'll be with you the entire time," Milly said reassuringly, "we will not leave your side."

Nina smiled faintly, "thanks."

* * *

Back at Hope's Peak Academy, specifically on its track field, Suzaku was pouring all he had to get ahead of his opponent from Class 77 B who was known as the Ultimate Gymnast. It didn't help matters that Akane was promised a feast prepared by the Ultimate Cook. On the one hand, Suzaku was impressed by the speed of his opposition, but at the same time, he realized he should've trained more. He thought he was more athletic than most, which Suzaku wasn't trying to act arrogant because he had always outpaced everyone during boot camp.

Seeing how difficult it was to keep pace with someone as fast as Akane, especially as Suzaku's lungs felt like they were on fire while his legs were ready to quit on him, he made a mental note to do some exercises when he had some free time.

 _Her speed alone is enough to put everyone training at boot camp to shame._

Thankfully Suzaku didn't have to run the full of the race, and he had only a short way to before passing the baton to Sakura. Akane was merely one second behind him as she was going to pass it along to her fellow classmate Peko.

Willing his body forward Suzaku pushes further ahead long enough to pass the baton to Sakura before she took racing down the track. Suzaku's efforts brought Sakura a short lead by twenty-second before Peko took off trying to close the gap between them. Suzaku stretched his limbs before taking a deep breath while resisting the urge to sit down on the ground to rest his aching body.

Suzaku was surprised to see Akane not even tired in the least, but his mouth was left hanging in shock when she ran over to the breaches for her fellow classmate had prepared an entire table lined with various dishes including a large turkey. The rest was too far away for Suzaku to see clearly from a distance, other than the large bird he could make out on the table, but it was clear it must've been quite the impressive feast judging from the excited cry of joy he heard from Akane that Teruteru had prepared.

Even from this distance Suzaku could observe Akane quickly devouring the feast in a way that was impressive, but unsettling at the same time.

 _I guess that explains why she has so much energy._ Suzaku thought as he allowed an amused smile to appear on his face.

* * *

Back inside the game as the play area was shrinking against Kaito and his team had made it out of the tall grass and found a small town with some houses and a few two-story buildings. With the play area now shrinking and moving away, the group realized they needed a vehicle if they wanted to make it to the safe zone before the play zone shrunk then Kaito and his whole team would be killed if they were outside of it. Walking let alone running would be risky since a high chance players were seeking to reach the newly designated play area would spot them and gun them down.

Shuichi and Maki wasted no time heading for the more substantial buildings, in the hopes they had a garage that could have a vehicle inside. Kaito was heading for a building that appeared to be some kind of rundown warehouse on the edge of the small town. Kokichi was nearby, and he was heading for the city as well to rendezvous with the rest of his class since he had no chance of reaching the new play area on foot, but he didn't see any of the other teams since they began playing.

Then the map they were on, a large island with a bridge leading to a smaller island, was quite big for six teams consisting of four each.

It was probably another reason why the allowed area where they could play and run around would keep getting smaller and smaller as the match went on to ensure a confrontation.

Kaito entered the warehouse where he found a parked jeep.

"Alright guys," Kaito announced triumphantly on their team chat, "I found a car that's good to go!"

Suddenly a sniper shot hit Kaito in the back followed by a second that sent him to the ground. His character was critical condition and bleeding out, needing one of his teammates to revive him before he either bled out or the opposing team finished them off.

"Oh," Kokichi's cheery voice exclaimed, "so they were here."

"WHO'S HERE?" Kaito called out as he desperately tried to move his character out of their line of fire before they could finish him off.

"The Student Council," Kokichi answered before Kaito was finished off resulting in a game over.

Inside a small house that sat on a hill that provided an excellent vantage point of the warehouse and the town was a young man with blue hair and matching eyes. Usually, he would've been seen with various animal-themed plushies on his person including some in his pocket and hanging from his neck, but his avatar didn't allow for it.

Ryōta Someya, the Ultimate Toymaker, was disappointed the member of Class 78-B he had just killed wasn't Kokichi.

It wasn't long before Maki and Shuichi came under attack from the other members of the team consisting of members of the Student Council, who were waiting in ambush using the jeep as bait. It was risky for them since the longer they spent fighting, the less time they would have to reach the new play area, but knowing the team they had caught was the one including Kokichi convinced them to stay and ensure the Ultimate Supreme Leader didn't win the game.

On the one hand, it was fortunate that Maki and Shuichi were pinned down in the same building together so they could provide coverage to one another, but the problem they were facing was they were running out of time. They didn't know where their attackers were striking from since the buildings around them provided plenty of places to hide from their counterattacks.

"Damn that Kokichi," Maki noted with a hint of repressed anger, "he must've somehow known or suspected the Student Council was lying in wait."

"Then maybe that is an advantage for us." Shuichi offered much to Maki's confusion before she realized.

"Kokichi, I hope you are taking aim at them."

Kokichi laughter could be heard in their team chat before he answered, "oh you know it, and I got one in my sights."

During the initial attack, Kokichi slipped into a second story building that provided a good vantage point of the area where Maki and Shuichi were pinned down. With their attention focused on Maki and Shuichi, no one realized the danger of Kokichi scanning the area for signs of the Student Council. He found one close to him, so he decided to take him out first.

Judging from his hair and the fact that his avatar had glasses, Kokichi knew his target was Asukasei Hino, the Ultimate Entrepreneur.

With a mischievous grin, Kokichi took aim with his sniper rifle before landing a headshot that put Asukasei into critical condition as his character dropped to the ground as his reddish brown eyes were likely going wide in shock before Kokichi finished him off with another headshot. Reacting quickly Kokichi took aim at Ryōta before he had a chance to aim at him, provided he or the others could figure out his position. He knew where Ryota was hiding, thanks to Kaito being killed; he was able to discover his location.

Two shots finished off Ryōta before he could react.

"Alright two down and two to go," Kokichi exclaimed happily with maniacal laughter, but behind him, a BDU wearing Aiko was sneaking up the stairs.

Kokichi was occupied with tracking one of the remaining Student Council members, so he failed to notice the shortest of the council sneaking up on him. Suddenly Kokichi took damage as his character took a blow to the side of the head followed by Aiko bashing Kokichi's head repeatedly with a firing pan until he was left in critical condition unable to fight back.

Kokichi managed to get at look at the one who attacked him to see Aiko looming over him with an angry expression on her face before she brought out a Tommy Gun, and swiftly finished him off by riddling his avatar with bullet holes.

"That was for the toad grease you jackass!" Aiko Umesawa, the Ultimate Drama Queen, snapped angrily.

"You still look so cute when you are angry," Kokichi mused as the game over screen appeared for him, eliminating him from the game.

Aware that Kokichi was eliminated it Maki and Shuichi used the opportunity to push ahead and eradicate the last two members of the Student Council, but time was running out.

Besides Aiko, the only member of the Student Council left was the Vice President of the Council, Kotomi Ikuta the Ultimate Acupuncturist.

Outside the building where Aiko found and finished off Kokichi, Kotomi drove up in the jeep that Kaito had seen earlier. Aiko hurried out of the building, using the back door where her friend and fellow council member was waiting.

"Quick get in, we got less than a minute before the play area shrinks again," Kotomi called out as Aiko climbed into the front passage seat.

Once Aiko was in her seat Kotomi drove off leaving behind Maki and Shuichi, although they tried to shoot them Kotomi skillfully used the buildings as shields before speeding away.

"Battle Buddies!" Aiko cheered as Kotomi was grinning ear to ear.

"That will show him that you don't mess with the Student Council," Kotomi shouted before speeding off-road to take a more direct route to the new Play Area designated on their map.

* * *

Safely in the new play area as the countdown to zero approached Chiaki, Nagito, Sonia and the Ultimate Imposter disguised as Ryota had received notices of the four players that had been eliminated. Her group had been lucky that it found a two-story home on top of a hill, which provided a defensible position for them. They were even _fortunate_ to find an excellent assortment of weapons and armor, which included the rare Ghillie Suit that allowed Chiaki to lay in wait with a sniper rifle as the suit camouflaged her in the tall grass near the house.

She was mindful to choose a location that had rocks and trees nearby to minimize chances of being run over by passing players.

"Hey Chiaki I see a car approaching," The fake Ryota replied as he peeked out of the window on the second floor as he noticed a blue four-door car approached the building they were hiding in.

"I got eyes on them, hold fire and let them exit their vehicle." Chiaki commanded, "Nagito, I would like you and Sonia ready."

"Roger that," Sonia replied happily while Nagito was merely grinning as he was wondering if his luck would continue to hold out.

In the first match of the game, the teams played a game called Murder Mystery Trivia, although it was generally a trivia game. It had an added spin if a player got a question wrong then he or she would face the test of random luck, challenges against themselves and the other players. For example as voting on a result or a game where the other players poisoning different cups then a player must choose one that isn't tainted or psychological games like a Prisoner's dilemma choice. The game goes on until one player is left standing while the ghosts of the characters who were killed for wrong answers would compete in a final round where they must answer the most questions correctly to catch up and become alive once more by overtaking the living player who remained.

The first one out wins while it's game over for the rest.

Chiaki and her group won the trivia game thanks in significant part to Sonia who was knowledgeable about a wide range of topics including, surprisingly enough, pop music, the occult, serial killers, movies and more impressing Chiaki and Nagito. Lelouch and his group were nipping at their heels allowing them to claim second followed by the Student Council, Class-78 B and the classes from the 76th year.

This battleground game was the second game so far, which from what Chiaki was told the final match would be a race that would include two members of their team to represent them.

Emerging from the car was Ruruka, Seiko, Miaya, and Sonosuke representing Class 76-A. Chiaki and the others had been fortunate enough to ambush and wipe out Class 76-B early on during the opening minutes of the matches thanks to the group finding weapons before the other team did when they landed in the same town as their starting point. Thanks to the nature of their video game avatars that all shared the same limited strength and unlimited endurance, Miaya could enjoy walking around in the virtual world, although she still used Usami's voice when talking to her teammates.

Chiaki kept her sights trained on them, but she waited for Nagito, Sonia and Ryota to attack first so in confusion she would attack from behind cutting off any chance of escape.

"So Seiko," Ruruka began sweetly with her boyfriend silently stand by her side, "why don't you and Miaya check it out first, and we'll wait right here to guard the rear."

Seiko seemed uncertain, but regardless she and Miaya went ahead. However, upon opening the door they were fired upon with the two was almost gunned down by enemy players on the inside of the house, but they had just narrowly avoided the hail of bullets. From his vantage point above Ryota opened fire upon Ruruka and Sonosuke, but as they were falling back, Chiaki was ready to attack. To Chiaki's surprise, instead of trying to help Seiko and Miaya, Ruruka and her boyfriend attempted to flee the scene in their car.

 _I really don't like players who abandon their teammates._ Chiaki mentally commented before shooting Sonosuke in the head dropping him to the ground before firing on a panicked Ruruka.

From that point on it was easy for Chiaki to pick off the downed players who had tried to flee.

* * *

Meanwhile at the Black Knight's new mobile base Ohgi and a disguised Mukuro were overseeing the last of the conversion process of the trailer into a proper mobile headquarters. At the same time distribution of their new uniforms and weapons that Lelouch had obtained off of the black market with Mukuro's assistance and the former's deep pockets. They were well supplied and armed for what was ahead for them, which was further helped by the six-month budget plan Lelouch had devised after obtaining the trailer to act as their mobile base. He set up contingency budget plans in place if the size of their small group began to experience growth between now and the next six months.

Suddenly everything changed with an emergency news bulletin that began playing on the wall-mounted television, which had been left on for such a possible event. Appearing behind a table with the logo of Hi-Tv network on it was a man with short brown hair wearing a dark blue business suit with a red tie holding a stack of papers in his hands.

"We interrupter your normally scheduled program for this emergency announcement, but for details, our reporter at the scene Kate will elaborate."

The scene shifted to an area along the shore of Lake Kawaguchi where a female reporter, Kate, was standing with the Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center Hotel behind her dressed in a red suit with a skirt and a matching tie with brown hair styled into a short ponytail.

"I'm here in front of the Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center Hotel. The hijackers have identified themselves as the Great Japan Soten Party." Kate explained before video footage showing members of the Great Japan Soten Party armed with assault rifles, dressed in various forms of casual wear surrounded a group of hostages held captive in presumably one of the hotel storerooms given the items on the shelves surrounding them.

"Members of the Sakuradite Allocation Meeting, most notably, Representative James of the Future Foundation, were taken hostage as well as several tourists and hotel employees. This footage was taken by the perpetrators; in it, you can clearly see Representative James, including some students."

Mukuro instantly recognized Nina, Milly and Shirley among the hostages as did Kallen who was shocked to see them.

"The leader of the group claims to be Katsuhito Aoi, of this radical terrorist organization known for their extreme methods and views." Kate explained before proceeding to elaborate on their reasons for taking over the hotel, "Here at the yearly national meeting of Sakuradite producers, it will be determined how this resource will be distributed among the world's nations. It's no exaggeration to say that the outcome determines the balance of global power between Britannia and other countries. It is believed that the terrorists are using world interest in the annual Sakuradite Allocation Meeting to their advantage by carrying out this violent hotel takeover."

 _Junko and Lelouch need to be made aware of_ _this_ _if they don't know about it already._ Mukuro thought as she retreated to one of the rooms upstairs to contact them via text message.

* * *

The game taking place at Hope's Peak Academy was beginning to reach its closing stage as Chiaki, and her group was cautiously moving to the new play area as the area shrunk further removing the house they had been holed up in outside of it once the field shrinks within the next minute. They noticed a bunker within the heart of the play area, which judging by how the circle kept shrinking towards it would be the likely area where all of the players left would gather for the final confrontation until one team remained.

Suddenly a sniper shot hit Ryota to the head putting him into critical condition, right before a second shot finished him off eliminating the Ultimate Imposter from the game.

Hiding on a nearby hill, where their jeep was parked behind some rocks, were the remaining two members of the Student Council Team armed with sniper rifles were taking aim at Chiaki's team trying to pick them off from a distance. Thankfully Nagito and Sonia responded fast enough to hide behind some small trees, but Chiaki was well camouflaged in the tall grass thanks to her Guile Suit allowing her to take aim at the two snipers.

Aiko was the first one Chiaki spotted, so she was swiftly eliminated before she could get to cover with two well-placed headshots.

Kotomi, on the other hand, seeing her teammate get eliminated from the game realized the enemy team had another member who was likely well hidden enough to use a sniper rifle against her, so Kotomi decided to retreat for now and wait for another opportunity.

"Damn it I am only one left." Kotomi snapped at herself while she was cursing under her breath.

Typically, she was known as the most vocal, impulsive and probably short-tempered member of the Student Council. However, she was very protective and caring towards her friends and fellow members of the Student Council and was the most instant they seek revenge on Kokichi for his prank using the video game tournament during the Sports Festival as a golden opportunity.

Besides that, she was trying to ensure the Student Council would win the video game aspect of the Sports Festival, but couldn't shake the feeling that the deck was stacked against them.

"What the," Kotomi said suddenly as she realized someone was shooting at the jeep shattering the window next to her.

Pulling up alongside her was a modified dune buggy with two seats, Shuichi was driving it. Sitting on top of a chair above him was Maki armed with a light machine gun with a fierce and almost vengeful look in her red eyes that seemed unusual for the Ultimate Child Care Giver.

The two surviving members of Team Class 78-B had clearly gotten lucky and found the buggy after the Student Council members left the area to escape the closing of the Play Area. Now by pure chance, they came across Kotomi with Maki firing upon the jeep and its driver, but this was to distract Kotomi from the grenade he threw to land ahead of the vehicle before pulling away at the last second. The grenade exploded just as it passed under the jeep sending into the air before exploding into a fireball. Thus the last of the Student Council was eliminated from the game.

Kotomi couldn't fight back because drivers could only drive and throw a grenade relying on her teammates for defense and offense. It was an odd rule, but it was meant to put an emphasis on the need for teamwork among the players and their teams.

"Shuichi, swing around and let's finish off those students they were attacking," Maki ordered as she reloaded her weapon.

"Alright," Shuichi complied as he began steering the buggy towards the area where Chiaki and her team was located.

Having seen the exploding jeep in the distance along with the buggy responsible; Sonia and Nagito readied themselves as Chiaki was aiming at the driver waiting for them to get closer. Even though the vehicle was apparently a fast vehicle, it didn't offer any protection for the driver and its passenger, a fact Chiaki intended to exploit.

Two quick shots were all it took to eliminate Shuichi followed by a sniper shot to the right tire to send the buggy crashing into a rock and a tree in the middle of the grassy plain they were fighting in. It was near where Sonia and Nagito were, but the boulder and tree protected them. However, while Maki was trying to pull herself from the crashed buggy, Sonia and Nagito seized the opportunity as the two emerged from behind the rock to attack and finish off the last member of the team representing Class 78-B.

"Light her up!" Sonia commanded as she and Nagito teamed up to swiftly finish off Maki under a hail of assault rifle fire.

"Light her up?" Chiaki asked as she thought that sounded unusual coming from the Ultimate Princess.

"I am sorry it's my bad as they say," Sonia apologized after finishing off Maki, "I thought it was something you say when you wish to swiftly eliminate an enemy in these types of games?"

"Not really, but I guess some people do take these games very seriously to the point they act like how they would in such a setting." Chiaki pointed out, although that didn't compare to the fact that Sonia was very familiar with various military weapons and tactics.

In her country, it was common for her people to learn about military weapons, hardware, and tactics in elementary school. Chiaki wasn't sure if that was exclusive to the wealthy class of her people or the entire population of the Kingdom of Novoselic, but it was likely the latter when Chiaki inquired further about it.

Such knowledge had proven unexpectedly useful to them in this game, and she transmitted her familiarity with various weapons into the game.

"Anyway the only team left now must be Lelouch's," Chiaki said after recounting the teams that have been eliminated so far leaving her and Lelouch's teams as the only ones left. "I think there is a good chance they are inside that bunker."

"Then defeating them will be problematic," Sonia said before adding, "If that bunker is designed for Military use then they'll be a stockpile of weapons and various crates."

Naito put his hand under his chin in a careful contemplation before saying. "Meaning they'll have plenty of course, and they are only two ways in according to the map."

"Then they'll have two members of their team guarding those entrances."

"Lelouch will likely be aware of this, and he will be ready for us," Chiaki said as she recalled her experiences of facing Lelouch during the times they played video games together.

* * *

A short time later as Lelouch observed on the small map that the play area had shrunk down to the point that the bunker was now within the shrinking playing field, which of course meant that the last team left was probably right outside as there wasn't really anywhere else to go.

 _Seeing all of the other teams that were eliminated it's unsurprisingly Chiaki's team that is left, but they lost one member,_ _so_ _it's three vs. four._ Lelouch thought as he began weighing his options.

"Everyone get ready because the last team knows we're down here, so all we have to do is to kill them or outlast them." Lelouch commanded before adding, "Avoid staying too close to the entrances because they'll begin their assault with grenades."

"Yes, because as they come down, they won't have anything to protect them, so their only chance is to create an opening with grenades," Celeste said agreeing with Lelouch's assessment of how Chiaki and her team would attack. It wasn't too hard because the layout of the bunker left them with very few options.

As expected a pair of grenades was tossed down the descending passageway as they bounced into the room, the first being a smoke grenade. However, the second was an explosive grenade. Then gunfire erupted as a vicious gun battle broke out. The smoke cleared to reveal an injured Nagito, but his sacrifice allowed Chiaki and Sonia to rush into the bunker before diving behind some crates near the door while Nagito was left wounded by taking all of the enemy's shots.

Instead of attacking both sides at once Chiaki and Sonia agreed their best chance was to gamble it all by invading through one entrance. It was a gambit that Nagito laid down his life for, although it wasn't literal it still bothered Sonia and Chiaki somewhat since Nagito had wanted to be a stepping stone for others.

 _I'll have to ask Miss Yukizome to have another talk with Nagito._ Chiaki thought while deciding to make a mental note of some of the more unusual quirks of her classmate.

Nagito struggled to move his character to Chiaki and Sonia's location, but Chihiro quickly finished off Nagito, thus eliminating him from the game. In turn, Sonia gunned down Chihiro in retaliation removing him, but this as part of an ongoing domino effect left her open to a counterattack from Celeste. Sonia was injured by her attack, but she wasn't out yet.

Knowing their position was about to overrun Chiaki hurled a grenade at Lelouch and Celeste, but as they moved to dodge the coming explosion, Sonia took a chance managed to shoot Celeste putting her into critical condition. Lelouch retaliated and shot Sonia until she was immobilized as she went into critical condition, but before Sonia wounded her, Celeste managed to throw a grenade into her direction.

So when the grenades they threw exploded both Sonia and Celeste were eliminated.

Makoto fired at Chiaki, but despite the latter taking hits she managed to take out Makoto by unloading all of the bullets within her assault rifle leaving her with her sniper rifle and a frying pan. With Makoto eliminated it was only Lelouch, and Chiaki remained.

The play area had been reduced to the room the two were in, so all that was left was for one to eliminate the other and claim victory.

Checking her bullets Chiaki realized she had only six shots left for the sniper rifle, but she didn't know what Lelouch had yet.

 _Trying to use the sniper rifle might be too risky since I would be exposed in-between each shot while taking aim._

Unless Chiaki could land a headshot on her first shot, there was a high chance Lelouch could take her out first since the assault rifle offers a higher rate of fire and he wouldn't be too concerned about aiming.

Switching to her frying pan and equipping one last grenade Chiaki tossed it into the air towards Lelouch before looking away. Lelouch had no idea what kind of explosive it was so he quickly retreated, but when it went off Lelouch was blinded by the flashbang Chiaki had used. Seizing the opportunity Chiaki rushed towards Lelouch hoping to finish him off with the frying pan before he could recover, but as she approached.

If Lelouch hadn't gotten behind one of the large crates, she might've shot him with her sniper rifle, but she didn't have time to move to a better position for that.

However as Chiaki approached to take Lelouch out, she saw at his feet a grenade, one that Lelouch had managed to drop at his own feet knowing that Chiaki would have to approach him to deliver a finishing blow.

 **-BOOM-**

Because they were the last members of their respective teams, they were both instantly killed by the grenade instead of entering the critical condition stage, and the match ended in a tie between Chiaki and Lelouch's teams.

If Lelouch's Team could win the next game with a first place victory, then they might have a good chance at winning the tournament.

* * *

Removing the VR headset from his head, Lelouch wiped the sweat from his brow, although it wasn't the victory he was aiming for he at the very least captured a chance for them to win. There was time before the next game as the systems had to reset and adjusted for the next game, so it was no surprise when Chiaki and her team came over to the area where Lelouch and his team had been sitting in their own spot in the auditorium. Every player had a chair with a computer terminal and a VR headset with everything connected to a more substantial machine in the center of the auditorium while the stands were filled with other students and various members of the facility and others who were watching the game take place on multiple large wall monitors positioned around the room.

"That was a crazy and suicidal move you pulled Lelouch." Chiaki complimented.

"You had me concerned at that point so I did the only thing I could do," Lelouch admitted.

"I suppose, but that means I'll have to be careful around you the next time we play any first-person shooters."

"I have to say you have played an impressive game Ultimate Strategist," Nagito said eagerly greeting Lelouch.

"You must be Nagito," Lelouch said recognizing him from the description he had gotten from Chiaki and others before shaking his hand in a friendly gesture.

"You are Lelouch right," Nagito said having heard about him from Chiaki, "Chiaki has been quite impressed with your performance as a gamer."

"Well I am not quite good at the wider range of games she plays, but there are a few we have found to enjoy playing," Lelouch admitted modesty.

"I suppose since I haven't met anyone who could truly be a match for the Ultimate Gamer."

"It is a pleasure to meet you I am Sonia," Sonia said greeted with a formal bow.

"Oh your highness," Lelouch said respectfully, but Sonia stopped him with a raised hand.

"Please, there is no need for formalities. You may just refer to me as Sonia since I am only a student here like the rest of you."

"Very well," Lelouch said intrigued by the Ultimate Princess as her personality was refreshing from the spoiled daughters from families among the nobility he had dealt with during his time in Ashford Academy, "it was not my intention to offend you."

"There is no need to worry about that."

"Anyway I guess I should introduce myself I am Ryota," The Ultimate Imposter said offering his hand, which Lelouch shook to return the gesture.

"I guess I should help with introductions on my end," Lelouch said before proceeding to introduce, "this Makoto, Celeste, and Chihiro."

As everyone was busy greeting one another Junko arrived on the scene putting a hand on Lelouch's shoulder to get his attention.

"Junko, did you already finish the table tennis events?" Lelouch said appearing to be surprised to see Junko since he wasn't expecting her until later.

"Oh I just crushed my competition," Junko replied as the mental image of leaving Miu a sobbing wreck replayed in Junko's mind after utterly crushing her during their match thanks to her true talent. "Anyway, there is a situation I think needs your personal attention."

Junko showed Lelouch her Smartphone that displayed the text with an attached photo article explaining the hostile takeover at Lake Kawaguchi, and the photo showed Milly, Nina and Shirley were among the hostages. Lelouch was visibly worried but quickly composed himself.

"I am sorry guys, but I have something I must take care of," Lelouch said quickly excusing himself before making his way out of the auditorium.

"Lelouch, what's wrong," Chiaki asked.

"Don't worry; it's a personal matter that needs his attention. I don't want to ruin moods, so I'll tell you guys the details when this is all over." Junko said intervening on Lelouch's behalf. "I am here to fill in for him."

"The next game is bound to be more chaotic with you Junko," Celeste commented with a devious smile.

"And you are?" Sonia asked while Nagito seemed oddly wary of Junko suddenly, although he didn't understand why he had this feeling of uncertainty coming off of her.

"I am Junko Enoshima."

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time Lelouch rendezvous with Mukuro, and he arrived at the location of their mobile headquarters dressed as Zero. Still, he was kept appeased of the situation by Mukuro while he was in route to the trailer. So far it was a tense standoff between the Britannian Military and the terrorists, which was being overseen by Cornelia herself. Since the terrorist was still holding the hotel well into the afternoon, it meant that all of Cornelia's attempts to reclaim the hotel and save the hostages had likely failed, which was worrying on its own.

In the past, Cornelia was known to only sacrifice the hostages when attempts to rescue them failed because she refused to submit to terrorists no matter the hostages they held.

It was all the more reason Lelouch wasted no time hurrying to rendezvous with Mukuro and the others.

Mukuro was waiting at the door to greet him.

"Has there been any changes?" Lelouch as Zero inquired to Mukuro dressed as Null.

"None, so far."

"So Zero what's the plan?" Ohgi said as he was obviously aware of the situation. "The Great Japan Soten Party is one of the most extreme groups in Japan. Null told us you planned on intervening."

"Bah, a bunch of nut jobs the lot of them who use fucking kids to fight for them," Tamaki commented from the sofa. The use of children as soldiers and occasionally suicide bombers was enough to sicken someone who was more likely to oppose more radical methods of dealing with Britannians by use of poison gas which only served how much the Great Japan Soten party was viewed by a majority of Japan.

The use of children alone was ensured to bring the wrath of Cornelia upon anyone foolish enough to use children as soldiers.

Even though it was evident that Cornelia was pro-Britannia who opposed anyone who opposed her country in any way and looked down on those not born Britannian, however, she did possess what was noted to absolutely hate for those who used children as soldiers. This didn't stop her from dealing with them the same as she would her enemies, but rumors spoke that Cornelia had those responsible begging for execution by the time she was through with them.

 _Obliviously the use of child soldiers isn't stopping her, so why hasn't she made a move?_

"I am contemplating my options, but this isn't something I am going to ignore," Lelouch answered, although getting to the hotel without Cornelia killing them was the most immediate problem.

 _Still,_ _why hasn't Cornelia made her move yet?_

Lelouch thought until realization dawned on him because there was only one thing could be forcing Cornelia to stay her hand.

 _Euphemia must be among the hostages._

It was the only explanation why Cornelia was likely avoiding aggressive action.

A smiled appeared on Lelouch's face under the mask as a plan began to form.

* * *

Later that night at Lake Kawaguchi, Nagito Komaeda was sitting along the shore of the lake with a small pocket television in one hand and a bag carrying a meal he brought from a nearby fast food place. His was lamenting his bad luck that not only did the place he went for dinner got his order wrong, but the bus that was supposed to bring him closer to the Lake Kawaguchi Convention Center Hotel dropped him off on the opposite of the lake itself facing the rear of the hotel.

He wasn't sure why he decided to come out here, but it was his luck that led him here.

Besides given how chaotic the video game tournament had ended, especially after Junko joined to replace Lelouch…

* * *

 **Twenty Minutes after Lelouch's Departure…**

* * *

The final race and game offered as part of the competition would be a race. As an added twist because this last match was where a player wouldn't drive a single vehicle this race was designed that at certain checkpoints the driver would have their car transform into something different to add both an exciting spin to the race itself and additional challenge of adaptability.

Everyone began using a high-speed sports car, which everyone was free to color and design with different patterns before the race. He painted his car green with some red so he could be identified by everyone else easily enough while Chiaki chose pink with video game characters on the side. Initially, it was planned for four games, but given the length of the last two games, it was decided to have the race to be the final one thus allowing everyone instead of the planned two from each team to take part in the last race so no one would be left out.

Chiaki didn't waste time speeding off to gain as much of a lead as possible, because as she warned her team before the race started.

" _As soon as the race begins you guys must_ _get_ _ahead as quickly as possible,_ _or_ _you'll be trapped, not to mention it would be a long way down if you fall off the track."_

This was because the race was beginning in the sky above the clouds, so falling from the race track would ensure you would lose the race.

When the race started Chiaki wasn't shocked to see the track beyond the starting line becoming quickly congested with drivers trying to pass and hinder their opposition at the same time. Ryota and some racers were unfortunate enough to be sent falling off the track. Chiaki managed to gain a healthy lead using the winding roads coupled with the downward plunge to obtain a substantial advantage with Sonia and Nagito following closely behind to cover her rear.

Upon reaching the bottom a checkpoint changed their vehicles from sports cars to sailboats, but from there the chaos would begin.

" _INCOMING!"_

Junko shouted as she landed her sailboat on top of Kaito's boat crushing it under her own boat thus sinking his, which was something Celeste did as well to eliminate another competitor. Then everyone else behind them began to imitate them leading to some disastrous results. Some were successful, but others failed and put themselves further back.

Then stage three of the race had their vehicles change into motorcycles, speeding through a trench until they raced up a ramp where stage four of the competition began as the racers switched to jets.

" _Bye Aiko,"_ Kokichi said before bumping the top of her jet plane with his causing it to explode removing a member of the student council from the race.

Kotomi was quick to avenge her fallen fellow member by performing the same move on him, thus eliminating Kokichi from the race. Much like Junko's actions early on this led to others attempting to use the same move to remove more competitors from the competition.

Sonia fell victim to the maneuver by Celeste and Junko gave another player a _love tap_ she called it.

Despite the chaos, Chiaki managed to win first place despite some close calls with Junko when the latter made her way into second place. Nagito noted that it wasn't just trying to stay ahead that was the issue but trying to avoid being shoved off the road, crushed or blown up in mid-air with a love tap.

Lelouch's team won second place for the whole tournament while Chiaki and their class won first with Class-78 B winning third place.

* * *

Returning to the present, he began to focus on events that brought him out here, although he didn't mind the evening breeze as it was relaxing and helped loosen him up more after such a chaotic finale to the Video Game Tournament.

 _A free bus pass to Lake Kawaguchi doesn't just fly into your lap for now reason._

Since then his luck had taken a sour turn, but since he won a free pocket television from a crane machine after picking up his dinner, Nagito thought fate was telling him that he was meant to be here. His luck has always been strange in which events, for good or ill, have still happened in a way that seems unbelievable. Such as the time he took a trip around the world, but the airplane he was flying in crashed landed in the middle of a scorching desert.

However, the plane crashed next to a lush oasis that had everything Nagito needed to survive until rescue, although the other passengers were not as fortunate.

It was events like those that convinced him his luck was trying to guide him or direct him in the direction he was meant to be going.

 _Maybe lady luck will smile on me tonight._

However, little did Nagito realize things were about to take an unexpected turn.

* * *

"WHAT?!" Diethard snapped as he looked up from the fishing pole he had been using to fish as a way to pass the time. "What happened again?"

"It's just like I told you. Don didn't realize what was happening until it was too late?"

Diethard had just been informed that one of their news vans had been stolen by a group of armed men.

"So where is van five right now?"

"Driving straight for the military stationed at the bridge leading to the hotel!"

* * *

Around the same time, the stolen news van in question was driving towards the military troops under Cornelia stationed at the end of the bridge that led towards the hotel. The other two bridges that connected the hotel to the mainland were destroyed by explosives during the initial stages of the takeover. Thus allowing for only one way in, although the underwater supply tunnel that ran below their feet to the hotel itself was technically another way in as well it was blocked off by a couple Glasgows that had been modified and combined into a mobile linear cannon.

How the Great Japan Soten Party obtained such a weapon was baffling, but there were suspicions that they were being aided by a third party who had access to various weapons and military hardware which was supplying the Great Japan Soten Party with.

Regardless it made attempts at reaching the hotel almost impossible, especially as efforts by air and water had poorly failed as well.

"What the hell is Zero thinking?" Tamaki grumbled from inside the news van they had stolen.

"I don't know, but what does he mean by proving a point?" Ohgi asked as he and the others were just as confused as he was.

"We might not live long enough to find out," Kallen added grimly, but Mukuro overheard them as she sat in the driver's seat slowly driving the van towards the military blockade at the bridge ahead of them.

"Just relax; Zero knows what he is doing."

The Sutherlands and various military vehicles allowed them to pass so they could surround them at the bridge. However as Zero stood atop the van, he was confident he would be granted passage to the bridge, but the question remained if Cornelia would allow it as she in the company of two members of her Royal Guard rushed in to bar Lelouch's path forcing Mukuro to stop the van.

Lelouch stood still as a statue as Cornelia emerged from her cockpit to face Zero directly before drawing a long rifle-like weapon that seemed like a mix between a rapier and a long barrel pistol.

"Well Zero we meet again," Cornelia said as Zero was silent, "are you here to help us or are you with the terrorists? Regardless this isn't your concern, but right now I shall avenge my brother Clovis."

As Cornelia took aim, Lelouch finally spoke, "Cornelia, who is more important, Clovis who is dead or Euphemia who is still alive?"

The look of surprise confirmed Lelouch's suspicions as he began smiling deviously under the mask.

 _Just as I thought, Euphy is among the hostages. You always dotted on sweet little Euphy ever since she was a small child, which is why you won't take aggressive action. Your emotions are getting in the way._

"What are you talking about?" Cornelia demanded while trying to deny the fact that Euphemia was among the hostages, but the terrorists were not aware of that fact because Euphemia wasn't on the guest list as she intended to observe the meeting. "I have no idea what you are implying."

"It is within my power to rescue her, so let me pass, and I shall save Euphemia for you." Lelouch offered, although if negations fell apart, he would use his Geass on her if the situation demanded it. "How long before the terrorist find her and potentially execute her when all of your other attempts have failed?"

Cornelia flinched at the possibility, and it was only twenty minutes ago the leader of the Great Japan Soten Party announced they would begin executing hostages every thirty minutes until their demands are met. As much as it angered her, Cornelia knew she had little options, but at that moment an idea that could allow her to solve two problems at once came to mind.

"Inform the terrorists on the other side that we'll be allowing Zero to pass," Cornelia said with a great deal of reluctance, "give the order to let Zero pass across the bridge."

Dalton was surprised by the order, but he complied.

"Attention all forces let Zero pass, and inform the other side that Zero wishes to cross the bridge to meet them."

Smirking triumphantly under his mask Lelouch enjoyed the distressed look on his older half-sibling's face as Mukuro began driving the van across the bridge.

Once Zero and the van were out of earshot Dalton turned to Cornelia and asked, "Viceroy, what are we doing?"

"I believe by letting Zero pass we can buy more time before the next hostage is executed." Cornelia answered before a smile appeared on her face, "this is our chance to eliminate two of our problems at once."

* * *

 _Given their extreme methods and ideology I have no intention of allying with them,_ _and_ _I am sure they will feel the same, but regardless I doubt they can resist the temptation of meeting the infamous Zero._

Lelouch was already expecting the meeting lead to a violent confrontation, but at the least, he was sure they would allow the conference to happen because he didn't doubt the Great Japan Soten Party was interested meeting the man who killed the Viceroy and a member of the Britannian Royal Family.

 _The only wild card will be_ _Cornelia_ _because an opportunity like this would be too much for her to resist._

The stolen news van was nearing the gate leading to the hotel grounds, although Lelouch was concerned they would turn hostile the gates opened allowing the vehicle to pass through.

 _Excellent, all of the plan's preliminary conditions have been met._

* * *

Around the same time in another part of Area 11, a tense meeting was happening with a man who was formerly the number three man in Area 11 behind General Bartley until Clovis's demise and Cornelia becoming the new Viceroy. His name was Gigelf Muller, a general in the Britannian Army and the Chief of Central Troops of the Kanto region of Area 11. He was slimmer compared to Bartley, and he had a full head of brown hair with blue eyes wearing the traditional Britannian military uniform.

He was sweating profusely as he sat at the head of a long table because sitting opposite of him was Monokuma.

"You have been a very naughty boy General Muller," Monokuma mocked before laughing his signature laugh, "I mean selling old weapons and intelligence to terrorist groups was one thing, but if word of this got out then Cornelia would just skin you alive."

Before the panicking general, despite his efforts to hide it was on the verge of breaking down, was photos showing Muller overseeing the selling and delivery of a weapon made from using four Glasgow Knightmare Frames as its base to create a giant mobile coil gun dubbed the Raikou. It had been assembled initially by the Japan Liberation Front to use as a massive siege weapon, but a raid on a small base controlled by the JLF allowed for the gun platform to be captured by Britannian authorities overseen by Muller.

After conducting an examination of the mobile weapon to learn anything useful from it Muller was then tasked with disposing of it, but instead, he sold it to the Great Japan Soten Party. He even gave them intelligence revealing critical details about the security detail at the hotel that enabled a successful takeover of the hotel.

"I have been gathering dirt on you for months, which is your fault since cut so many deals with different terrorist groups. You didn't know which of them wasn't tied to cute little old me." Monokuma mockingly pointed out. "The reason for it has changed I'll admit."

Initially, Monokuma had been gathering enough _weapons-grade_ blackmail to coax the general into cooperating with Ultimate Despair. His high position coupled with the fact he oversees the military and related matters for the central region of Area 11 that included the Tokyo Settlement. When Cornelia came to power, he was given the proverbial cold shoulder that saw the influence and power he held as the number three man in Area 11's power structure diminish.

He kept his position, but it was apparent that his ego couldn't accept the loss of influence he had suffered.

"I'll give you kudos for dealing with that banker and his family." Monokuma said mockingly before adding, "No, I meant to say undercover Bureau of Internal Affairs agent from the homeland."

Muller had discovered from his own contacts that Cornelia had asked for the Bureau of Internal Affairs to send an agent to investigate his cash flow, so he had asked a small terrorist group to take care of the matter. The agent along with his wife and daughter were killed in a public bombing, which worked to hide the actual target of the attack to misdirect suspicion, but Muller didn't know the group he had contacted was a subsidiary group tied to Ultimate Despair.

It was just more dirt to add to the pile of blackmail Monokuma had over him.

"What do you want?" Muller asked, his voice was trembling as he did.

"Oh nothing much," Monokuma replied, "but in exchange for making sure no one knows what I know I want you to do a couple favors for me."

Behind the controls Junko Enoshima was grinning evilly as a critical component for making the next Killing Game possible was in her grasp.

More work and preparation was needed, but she was closer now and had an essential part of her plan to make it all a reality.

* * *

For Lelouch, it was difficult for him to stand before the men who commanded the Great Japan Soten Party because upon seeing the children they were employing as soldiers on the ground floor only fueled Lelouch's rage. Unknowingly it was something he and Cornelia shared, and one that stemmed from his own situation as a political tool as a child. Their position didn't compare, and looking at how determined they were to fulfill their orders Lelouch couldn't begin to imagine what must've been done to them.

Lelouch didn't feel sad when he used his Geass to order to kill themselves, which he would claim that they took their own lives upon realizing the futility of the situation.

When the gunshots from the room were heard, Mukuro knew it was the signal to begin cleaning house.

"YOU BASTARDS!" One of the armed members of the Great Japan Soten Party yelled as he charged Mukuro who had been standing near the door but decided to take out the masked woman while his two comrades chose to enter the room to assist their leader.

Using a throwing knife that slipped into her hand, Mukuro threw the small blade sending it into the neck of the unfortunate man. Before the man's body could slump to the ground dead, Mukuro quickly seized it using it as a shield while members of the Great Japan Soten Party opened fire. The corpse soaked up the bullets like a sponge, but Mukuro didn't wait and pushed forward until she was close enough to throw the body at them disrupting their efforts to gun her down and creating an opening where she delivered a bone breaking punch to the face one of man.

The impact of her punch caused blood and shattered teeth to erupt from his mouth before quickly drawing one of her combat knives to slash open the man's throat before swiftly killing the last one before he could open the door.

It wasn't over as two more armed men arrived, but this time they had a hostage with them.

 _Euphemia_ _…_

Mukuro recognized the young girl, but she didn't pause as she quickly drew her pistol to shoot each man in the head thus eliminating them as threats before they could use their assault rifles against her.

 _You can't call these worthless fools soldiers,_ Mukuro thought internally while at the same time she was wondering how they could've taken the hotel so quickly given the importance of the Sakuradite Allocation Meeting.

Lelouch emerged from the room, but his mask hid his surprise as he saw her.

"Euphemia, you were willing to sacrifice yourself for the commoners. You haven't changed." Lelouch said as Zero, suspecting correctly she must've revealed herself to stop another hostage from being executed.

He didn't know that he was half right, and the cause behind her reveal was because of Nina's own xenophobia getting the better of her. She had unknowingly provoked the anger of a guard that nearly resulted in her demise along with that of Milly and Shirley had Euphemia not intervene by revealing her true identity.

"Null, go secure the hostages I would like a word with the Princess here," Lelouch ordered as Mukuro replied with a simple nod before departing to accomplish her task.

Euphy merely silently stared at Zero, the man who killed her brother Clovis. Similar to how Suzaku met her, Euphy was dressed in casual wear consisting of a white dress with a short yellow jacket to stylishly compliment her attire.

"I hear you are the new Sub-Viceroy Euphemia li Britannia."

"It's not an appointment I am happy with." The young girl admitted with disdain in her voice.

"No, it's because Clovis was murdered," Lelouch answered before adding further. "That was my handiwork. He begged pathetically for his life to the very end. He pleaded with the same tongue that ordered the deaths of countless unarmed Elevens that included women and children."

Euphy was left reeling, although she was aware of the actions her older half-brother had done and it left a bitter taste in her mouth that Clovis had done something like that.

"Was that the reason you killed my brother?"

"No," Lelouch answered flatly.

"THEN WHY!?"

"Because Clovis was an offspring of the Britannian Emperor, which reminds me," Lelouch replied before he drew a handgun from within his cape that he had kept on his person, "you are one of his children."

 _Does he have a grudge against the royal family?_

Euphy stood her ground despite the danger, but a moment later Lelouch lowered the gun.

"I suppose, for now, you haven't done anything worthy of being punished."

"Zero," Ohgi's voice came from behind the masked man as he Kallen and Inoue arrived on the scene. "Tamaki and the others are planting the explosives, but we still need to deal with those child soldiers on the ground floor."

"Leave that to Null and me," Lelouch ordered before turning to face Ohgi, "gather the hostages and bring them to the ground floor for stage three of the plan."

"Sure thing," Ohgi replied as Euphy silently observed trying to understand Zero as he felt familiar to her somehow.

* * *

Meanwhile in the service tunnel below the Lancelot, piloted by Suzaku, was struggling to take down the Raikou. Its wide range of fire and the destructive capabilities of the ammunition it fired gave it a dangerous edge that shredded most Knightmare Frames apart, but the Lancelot was holding its own thanks to its speed and its Blaze Luminous Shields. Cornelia had ordered Suzaku into action after Zero entered the hotel to create an opening for their forces by sinking the hotel by destroying its foundation block providing a window of eight to ten minutes to rescue the hostages before the hotel sinks into the lake.

It was a stalemate so far, but the operators of the Raikou realized it was only a matter of time before the Lancelot would break through, so they readied the smaller guns that had replaced the arms of the Glasgows that made up the sizeable mobile weapon.

"Miss Cecile I have to use the VARIS," Suzaku reported when the visual scan of his machine spotted the Raikou preparing to use additional guns to aid its primary weapon leaving with Suzaku with no window to evade.

The VARIS was another prototype weapon called the Variable Ammunition Repulsion Impact Spitfire, was the Lancelot's most powerful ranged weapon in its arsenal. It hadn't been tested in a combat situation yet, and it had settings for more destructive shots. Some of which could potentially damage the Lancelot or even destroy it thanks to the devastating recoil, or so they feared.

"No, you could get killed!"

"I have no room to evade, so I'll risk being blasted by the recoil to take the first shot."

Suzaku drew the VARIS as its barrel extended. Once Suzaku had the main barrel of the Raikou in his sights he fired a quick shot from the VARIS that sped down the tunnel. The projectile tore through the shell the Raikou fired before piercing the large weapon itself causing it to explode that brought down the underground passageway the Raikou had been in causing an explosion that could be seen from where Cornelia and her men were waiting to begin the rescue operation.

Taking advantage of the explosion, Suzaku used it to propel himself high, launching himself and the machine out of the tunnel, into the air giving him a clear shot of the hotel's foundation block as he switched VARIS to the appropriate mode.

Suzaku skillfully shot the foundation block despite the distance and the angle he was in, but the hotel began to sink thanks to his shot.

However, as the Lancelot began falling towards the ground, Suzaku spotted someone watching him from one of the rooms on the higher floors of the sinking hotel.

 _Suzaku…_

Lelouch thought as his eyes narrowed, but this didn't stop him from pulling out a remote he was holding and detonating the explosives Ohgi and the others had planted throughout the upper floors of the hotel.

Suzaku and Cornelia were horrified by the chain of explosions that tore apart the hotel causing it to lean back as debris was sent flying everywhere. Without thinking Suzaku, after the Lancelot landed on the edge of the bridge leading to the hotel, leaped towards the collapsing hotel in a desperate bid to save the hostages, but he and Cornelia didn't realize that this was part of Zero's plan.

Only Diethard seemed to realize this, because why steal one of their vans with their equipment inside if there wasn't another purpose behind it.

Diethard's suspicions were proven correct when they picked up a signal being broadcasted from one of the cameras, while at the same time as the dust from the hotel's destruction began to finally clear a small yacht began sailing away from the ruins of the hotel.

Aboard the vessel Lelouch was thankful, they had managed to get out in time, but he was also glad that he didn't have to order Mukuro to kill those child soldiers. Thankfully they were not aware of what had happened on the upper floors, so it allowed Lelouch to use his Geass to order them to disarm and surrender at the chance of being rehabilitated. It was risky since there was a chance Cornelia could have them locked away for life or executed, but Lelouch didn't have the means to take care of them.

He bargained with Euphy to take them under her custody as the Sub-Viceroy as a humanitarian gesture, which she agreed. The rest he could only leave in fate's hands.

 _Now there is one thing left to do,_ Lelouch thought before making a silent gesture for Ohgi to begin.

Within moments Zero's visage was being shown across Area 11 as he spoke to the camera.

"My dear Britannians have no fear." The camera was directed at the hostages who were sitting in life rafts surrounding the yacht. "All of the hostages from the hotel are safe and sound. I, Zero, return them to you unharmed."

Most people around Area 11 were pleased with this development, except for Cornelia who realized another purpose.

"Of all the brazen audacity!" Cornelia cursed with barely restrained anger, "If we attack you, those people will quickly become your hostages, won't they?"

One cue the lights on the deck of the yacht were turned on revealing Zero, but standing behind him was Ohgi and the others wearing the black uniforms Tsumugi made for them while Null was operating the boat from inside.

"People! Fear us, or rally behind us as you see fit. We are the Black Knights." Lelouch declared before he continued. "We of the Black Knights stand with those who have no weapons to wield; regardless if they are Japanese or Britannians. The Great Japan Soten Party cowardly took innocent Britannian civilians hostage, and then mercilessly executed them. It was a wanton and meaningless act. Therefore they have been punished. Just as former Viceroy Clovis was punished for ordering the slaughter of countless unarmed civilians, we could not stand by and allow such cruelty to be carried out, and so we made him pay for his actions."

Across Area 11 Sayaka was watching the live broadcast as was Makoto and others from Lelouch's class.

"I will not repudiate battle on a fair and level field, but neither will I tolerate a one-sided massacre of the weak by the strong. The only ones who should kill, are those who are prepared to be killed! Wherever oppressors have abused their power by attacking those who are powerless, we shall appear again. No matter how mighty, or formidable our foe may be!" Lelouch said before he began bringing his speech to a close with a dramatic display.

He began by dramatically extending his left arm.

"Those of you with power, fear us!"

Then he did the same thing with his other arm.

"Those of you without it, rally behind us! We, the Black Knights, shall be the ones who stand in judgment of this world."

Junko was grinning maliciously, but across the lake, Nagito was intrigued by Zero.

"How wonderful, maybe this is my luck directing me to someone who could create a powerful shining hope for the world!"

* * *

 **Monokuma** **Theater** **:**

Monokuma was standing on a large stage, but he was wearing a red cape with a black and white mask, that oddly was opposite of the different colors of his body.

"Now let's ask ourselves an important question," Monokuma began before cutely flexing his arms, "what do people admire superheroes?"

The two-tone bear dressed as a superhero turned to a cardboard box behind him as he began throwing balls into the air, which he started burning to a crisp using heat vision from his eyes.

"Do people really understand what superheroes are like?" Monokuma asked before adding, "Superheroes stop people from achieving their hopes and dreams you know. They attack people in groups because they don't have any friends themselves. All of them are short tempered and say things like I am mad or I am going to stop you. Then they'll start laughing at you, and they'll run away once the other guy starts to fight back."

On cue, Monokuma took to the air and began flying around the stage.

"They even wear flashy costumes, and they'll use weapons when the other guy doesn't have any, so that means superheroes are a bunch of smart, good-looking, violent, stubborn elitist who does not have many friends. Are you sure we should admire people like that?"

* * *

A/N: man this chapter ended up being a LOT longer than I thought it would be, which I'll blame on the whole game tournament. Worry not it will be the last one for a very long time (I might add in some video game moments, mostly when Chiaki is involved, but don't expect any for a while).

Monokuma's plans for the next Killing Game are in motion with someone who has the authority to help it come together now in Junko's pocket thanks to blackmailing him. The guy is a character from the Code Geass novels, and I have made use of him to further my plans for the next Killing Game along.

I felt a little disappointed with how events at the hotel turned out, but it's a means to an end, and I have a few Black Knight operations in mind that should provide some originality and some new twists as they soon come into conflict with Ultimate Despair.

Anyway thank you all for reading, and I look forward to your feedback/reviews, and I look forward to them.


	17. Chapter 17 Relationships

A/N: I was hoping for a little more feedback, but thank you all for the reviews, favorites and follow additions.

Anyway to address a question, or at least mention it here in case anyone else was curious. I don't have a problem with Makoto and Kyoko hooking up as a couple, but I am looking at the possibility of Makoto and Toko (in response that some find pairing Makoto and Kyoko too dull), but I'll play with both pairings and see which one benefits the story the most.

On another matter, I am looking for someone to pair with Chihiro, which might be Milly, Shirley, or Cecile if not for the age gap. There is no reason Lelouch and Junko should be the only crossover couple in this story, and I am looking for an opportunity to try my hand at another one.

So on with the chapter.

02/15/2018: edited and cleaned up.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their_ _mind._ _"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

 **Relationships**

It was late as Lelouch sat on his sofa using a laptop to review a long list of potential recruits Ohgi had collected for him. It had only been four days since events at the hotel, but the impact left by the Black Knights could be described as a ripple that reached across Area 11. Lelouch wasn't idle either as he worked actively to build up the Knights of Justice image he proclaimed the Black Knights would be.

Sitting to Lelouch's right was Junko as the former was leaning over the laptop he had on top of the table in front of him as he was looking over the recruitment applications he had received through Ohgi. Instead of her usual attire, Junko swapped her black cardigan for a yellow short-sleeve sweatshirt that left a view of her cleavage much like her cardigan did, even having two red buttons below the wide collar.

Junko took a slip from her energy drink before leaning in to see whose profile he was reading through. The majority of those attempting to find admittance into the Black Knights were, unsurprisingly, Japanese except one whose application surprised and intrigued Lelouch.

"So you got a Britannian wanting to sign up with the Black Knights," Junko admitted, although she had expected to happen later on yet for a Britannian so eager to join an anti-Britannian organization was intrigued and concerning. "He seems too obvious to be a spy."

"I concur, and his confidence is impressive, so I don't think he's a spy. I can't tell if he is an extremist." Lelouch said as he and Junko went over the application of Diethard Reid.

The photo that came included with his information displayed unshakable confidence that seemed like something a spy wouldn't have. Beyond being uncertain of what motivated Diethard to seek membership with the Black Knights his resume was impressive.

"Former Producer and Member of the Press Staff at Hi-TV," Lelouch said reading some of the information he offered when provided his application. "He's a graduate of the Imperial Britannia Central University's Faculty of Law, so far not bad."

Junko looked at a profile Diethard had before offering up a comment, "He's got more education than all of the other applications so far. Some of them didn't graduate from high school."

"Not all of them had a chance to attend high school Junko," Lelouch said lightly Junko who responded by snuggling closer.

"Still, you should be pleased," C.C. began, "I mean the number of recruits is growing quite quickly."

"Yes, and it was simpler than I ever expected," Lelouch admitted although he was pleased he knew that he would probably need to work on restructuring the Black Knights and seek out leaders to help with the growth into a full-fledged organization. On the other hand, Lelouch wondered if this was a sign of frustration among the Japanese who longed to see their country liberated, but have grown tired and disappointed with the other major resistance groups like the JLF. "While I bitterly hate the Britannians, I refused to condone terrorism. That's the prevailing view of most Japanese."

"Well, we both kinda knew that, but no one else was smart enough to pick up on that," Junko commented.

"And the proof of concept is right in front of me."

"I see, so basically elevens will support the Black Knights for the most part," C.C. said as she reclined in one of the chairs by the sofa munching on a slice of pizza.

 _That immortal loves and eats pizza as much as Asahina loves and devours her donuts._ Junko commented internally.

"Exactly, which in turn makes it easier for us to operate as a whole and it's also less likely that people will report our activities to the Britannians," Lelouch said, clearly pleased with this turn of events. "The number of informants has started to grow as well, so all we should need now are people who can act as leaders and a more secure route to obtain weapons and Knightmare Frames."

"Thanks to your Knights of Justice act everyone is going to jump on this bandwagon, especially since it has principles and morals that will be much more agreeable for many," Junko said, reminding the green haired woman of a critical difference and what would be the secret to Lelouch's success and rapid growth.

"Who doesn't love a hero, and what better hero than a knight," Lelouch commented with a devious grin. "Not to mention there was some intended irony against a country that has knights to be a big part of their culture when I chose the name."

"I doubt that's what a real knight for justice would say," C.C. said with an amused smile.

"You don't think so?"

"I wouldn't assume that every hero in history were all selfless and became heroes just for feeling good about doing the right thing." Junko pointed out with a dismissive gesture of her hand.

Lelouch merely continued to smile until he saw the next applicant causing his expression to change to one of concern.

Junko saw the face and name of the person in question that was the cause of Lelouch's mood change. She was Japanese with blonde hair that reached down past her shoulders with grayish olive eyes and permanent blush marks on her cheeks.

"Natsumi Kuzuryu, as in the daughter of the current leader of the Kuzuryu Clan," Junko pointed out while seemingly intrigued at the same time.

"And the younger sister to the one who is next in line to assume leadership of the clan," Lelouch added.

"Seems odd for the daughter of Japan's most powerful Yakuza clan to be seeking membership with the Black Knights," C.C. said while the possibility of having the Kuzuryu Family as allies seemed appealing.

However, both Lelouch and C.C. suspected there was kind of catch.

"I agree unless they have some kind of hidden agenda," Lelouch said before contemplating possible outcomes and angles the Kuzuryu Clan had in mind with this approach. "I can't see any reason why she would join?"

"Maybe she is taken with you," Junko suggested, "I mean tall and mysterious with a black mask which has accomplished more than any other resistance group in a short time. I am sure you got a female fan base growing."

Lelouch could sigh internally as dealing with his unwanted fan base among the female students was enough of a headache, but now it seems despite his efforts he was unintentionally drawing the eye of other female students at Hope's Peak Academy. Of course, he had expected something like that to happen upon taking the identity of Zero, but he had hoped it would cause any complications.

 _I should've known better._

"Perhaps getting a better grasp of what kind of person she is could be helpful in determining her intentions."

"Maybe she could be more of a blessing than a curse, but at least he isn't going to be as much of an oddball as your latest recruit."

"I know," Lelouch said as he was reminded of the fact that Nagito was now a Black Knight.

Given his luck and how it seemed to affect everyone around him had Lelouch questioning if allowing the Ultimate Lucky Student of Hope's Peak would be a good idea. He was aware his luck swayed to either extreme good luck or bad luck at times, but there was no way to really know how to influence it so it could work as an asset to Lelouch instead of a hindrance.

Recalling how they encountered Nagito when the boat they commandeered reached the other side of the lake.

* * *

"Amazing, to think I would be right here when you would escape through this side of the lake," Nagito exclaimed happily as the boat beached itself within a few short feet of where Nagito had been sitting. "This must be my lucky day!"

"Who the hell is this guy?" Tamaki demanded while aiming his assault rifle.

Lelouch recognized Nagito but was mindful to avoid saying anything that could give himself away.

"I am just someone who is very lucky, although it's a rather plain talent compared to my other classmates," Nagito answered becoming increasingly ecstatic, "What interesting hope I have found here, say would you guys mind if I ran with your group. I want to see the hope to be born from the justice you carry."

"I think this guy is nuts," Sugiyama noted in a quiet exchange between him and Minami who nodded in agreement.

"We don't exactly have time for," Lelouch began, but was cut off by the sound of sirens in the distance.

He was surprised the police was moving against them quicker than he had expected, but suddenly an explosion erupted beneath the street the police moving to intercept them. Lelouch would late learn that a gas mane had given away and an old and mismanaged power line had been the cause of the blast, but regardless the police officers and their vehicles were wiped out giving them a chance to make a clean getaway.

 _Did his "luck" cause that?_

"You can come with us, and once we are safe, we'll discuss your application to join," Lelouch said finally, not wanting to risk everything further by lingering.

"Of course I am looking forward to it," Nagito replied happily which Lelouch found concerning somehow.

 _I hope I won't regret this_ , Lelouch thought internally.

* * *

Once they had gotten away Lelouch, to his surprise, noticed they faced no further complications or any other signs of pursuit. Lelouch would learn in the news the following day a string of bizarre incidents that befell the military and police efforts to pursue them. The gas main exploding was one such incident, and others involved accidents with police vehicles suffered an engine failure, and other pursuit vehicles were blocked by sudden car accidents. The list of events that strangely helped the Black Knights could be impressive to some, but Lelouch was genuinely concerned.

 _I was lucky, but how long before his luck reverses and_ _inflicts_ _misfortune upon us?_

Little did Lelouch realize was at that moment someone was reaping the expected misfortune in exchange for all of that good luck.

* * *

Limping through an alleyway while nursing a face that had claw marks from an angry cat and a black eye. Tamaki was tried and mad over a mysterious string of unfortunate events to befall him. First, at his favorite bar, his seat broke under him causing to spill his drink all over the most prominent and short-tempered man that resulted in a thrashing that saw him thrown out.

Upon the ground outside, Tamaki was promptly clawed up by an angry black cat that had seemingly come out of nowhere.

"What the fuck has been going on? What did I do to deserve this?"

As if an answer to his question someone living in one of the apartments above him decided to pour out all of the dirty water used in their laundry leaving a soaked and miserable Tamaki.

* * *

"Perhaps," Lelouch said as he recalled Natsumi's brother was in the same class as Nagito, "maybe I can consult the matter regarding Natsumi with Nagito since her brother is in his class."

Even though his luck was a wild card that could be either a boon or s hindrance Lelouch concluded that Nagito could be ultimately useful to his rebellion.

"That might not be as useful as you think," Junko pointed out.

"True, but it's better than nothing. Anything I could learn to discern Natsumi's true intentions will be helpful," Lelouch answered.

"I suppose," Junko said as she saw little reason to argue.

"Just to be safe," Lelouch began, "I'll ask Mukuro be on hand just in case the situation turns hostile."

Junko smirked, "you have been really working my sister haven't you?"

"Is that a problem?"

"Nah," Junko answered with a casual wave of her hand, "I think she prefers working with you in the Black Knights since being a soldier is more of her thing."

"As long you or Mukuro don't have a problem then I won't question it," Lelouch pointed out.

"That's considerate of you," Junko said before pulling out an envelope she been carrying, "and this is considerate of me."

"What's this," Lelouch asked accepting the envelope from Junko.

"A VIP ticket for the grand opening of the Clovisland Pool," Junko replied with a cutesy wink, "courtesy of Milly."

"And I assume refusal isn't an option?" Lelouch asked feeling suspicious.

"Nunnally will be there," Junko said which prompted a sigh from Lelouch knowing that he couldn't refuse to go now.

"You mentioned that knowing that Nunnally and I haven't had much time to spend together to ensure I couldn't refuse," Lelouch said with a small smile.

"Its tomorrow, but your day should be clear right?"

Lelouch nodded in confirmation, "Yes, although I have morning training with Mukuro. She has been helpful in improving my endurance."

 _I think improving your endurance will be useful for you._

Junko thought with a smile, but she knew it was the first Killing Game and being subdued by Mukuro had influenced Lelouch to take a more serious stance in physical fitness despite his dislike for it.

"Well swimming in a pool tomorrow could be a good extension of that training," Junko offered before suddenly kissing Lelouch lightly on the cheek as a means of encouragement.

"You are hoping we'll spend time together tomorrow as well aren't you?" Lelouch said suspecting that Junko had wanted to use the pool invitation to her own advantage.

"We are a couple now right," Junko asked, "so shouldn't we be going on dates?"

"Yes, but you don't strike me as the type who would consider going to a movie or a trip to the carnival," Lelouch pointed out as he was more than aware that ordinary things or anything that was routine would bore her.

Junko didn't offer an argument, "I suppose that's true, which is probably why this pool thing might be the best deal open to us, and it gives you a chance to spend time with your sister, so it's a win-win all around."

 _Still might be kinda_ _dull_ _though_ _, but who knows what might happen especially when Milly is involved._

Junko thought internally before realizing.

 _Of_ _course,_ _poor Shirley is going to be in such despair when she sees_ _Lelouch and me_ _together,_ _so_ _there is that to look forward to._

* * *

The following day, it was about midday, at the Clovisland Pool as plans for the grand opening was underway with a particular party for special guests and VIP access by invitation only. However, to honor one of the last public works projects overseen by Clovis before his death it was decided that a special guest would make an appearance to speak at the opening ceremony.

The special guest in question was inside a dressing room with her younger sister.

Cornelia li Britannia was never much of a fan when it came to formal gatherings unless it involved family, such as a birthday or wedding celebration, because of preferring to wear a military dress uniform for such functions over a dress. Thankfully no one really had an issue with it, except for a small select few, but Cornelia's mother was a different story, and it only solidified her desire to avoid attending most formal functions.

As Viceroy it was customarily required for her to attend such events, but thankfully she managed to have Euphemia handle such functions on her behalf.

Now standing in the changing room, having changed out of her preferred attire, Cornelia was making a mental note about never letting Euphemia chose her choice of swimwear again. She reluctantly agreed to be the exclusive guest speaker alongside her sister during the grand opening of the Clovisland Pool. Since it was the last public works project authorized by her late half-brother, Euphemia suggested to Cornelia that they oversee the grand opening together as a way of honoring Clovis.

Cornelia was hesitant but agreed.

She would've changed her mind had she known that Euphemia had wanted them to wear some of Clovis's bikinis he had designed. The fact that Euphy had picked out one for Cornelia didn't help matters causing her to dread the angry phone call she would probably get from their mother of news of what they wore today reached her.

"Euphy," Cornelia asked hesitantly with her arms crossed over her chest, "you really want me to wear that?"

"Yes, isn't it cute?"

 _Cute, how can this be cute?_

Cornelia thought while making a second mental note to have a talk with Euphy later about her definition of cute.

The Viceroy of Area 11 had seen some magazine articles and photos of the various elevens and half-Britannians who had modeled in them because professional models with the right connections had managed to evade having to pose for pictures in Clovis's creations. She had even seen some more questionable than the one hanging before her.

As much as Cornelia was dismissive and looked down upon Elevens and Honorary Britannians, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pity for the women who couldn't escape posing for pictures in such swimwear.

"I think you are going to look dazzling Cornelia."

"Well," Cornelia said as she tried to make one final escape to being forced to wear it, "don't you think it exposes too much?"

"Not at all," Euphy replied with a mischievous smile," and besides Clovis designed it himself, and this one is mild compared to some of the other ones he designed."

 _That is not helping Euphy,_ Cornelia thought before Euphy grabbed the swimsuit in question and decided to help her sister put it on.

The ensuing argument and difficulty of Cornelia putting on Clovis's bikini were being overheard by Dalton and Guilford who were standing guard outside the dressing room. They wore yellow jackets reserved for the staff of the Clovisland Pool over their own swimwear. Guilford was struggling to keep his composure while wondering if he and Dalton should've asked for female members of their forces to stand guard in their stead.

Dalton, on the other hand, seemed indifferent and actually seemed amused by both Guilford's apparent crisis of conscience he was facing and the fact that Cornelia of all people would be wearing a bikini. Dalton was by no means a pervert, and his reasoning was more humorous since he has known both sisters for a very long time having served as a guard at their mother's villa becoming an informal father figure to the sisters.

"Her Highness in a bikini, I can't wait to see it," Dalton mused, "when my sons find out that they missed it they will be so jealous."

Guilford quickly engaged in a conversation, anything to take his mind off of the various noises and chatter from the Princess in the room behind him.

"They are all Glaston Knights aren't they," Guilford asked, "it's very admirable that you raised a group of orphan boys and trained them to be knights. What you said is a bit improper isn't it?"

Dalton sighed in amused annoyance, "As always Gil you have a huge stick up your ass."

"Yes, well it's my nature to be a bit stiff," Guilford admitted before deciding to address another issue that has been bothering him, "speaking of stiff Lord Dalton, I realize we must protect her highness but…"

Guilford pointed to an object that had been stuffed into the swimming trunks and despite his efforts to hide it.

"Trying to hide a pistol in your swim trunks seems rather pointless."

"Oh," Dalton said taking a moment to inspect his swimwear, "it's that obvious?"

"Yes and it's…rather not pleasant to look at, and people might get the wrong impression," Guilford said with an undeniable sense of discomfort because at the same time he was trying to be as respectful as possible.

With a sigh of defeat, Dalton conceded, "this isn't working so I'll just let them drop."

* * *

Outside by the pool, Suzaku was dressed in a simple pair of blue swim trunks sitting at one of the tables with a wireless earpiece on, although any casual observer would've assumed he was just another guest at the pool. Suzaku was actually on guard duty alongside Cecile who was wearing a revealing one-piece bikini that displayed her figure. Suzaku wouldn't have taken her as the type to wear something revealing like that, but it was much more tasteful compared to some of the other women and their more revealing swimwear. Suzaku and Cecile were asked to serve as guards for the event ahead; especially they could blend in more with the crowd for added protection.

"Miss Cecile," Suzaku asked respectfully, "we're supposed to be here on guard duty right?"

"Uh-huh," Cecile answered as she was relaxing in a pool chair enjoying a little sunbathing.

"So should we be out by the pool like this?" Suzaku inquired, concern this might not go over well with General Dalton.

"It's fine," Cecile replied with Suzaku feeling that she was rather carefree about it. "They didn't need your Knightmare Frame, and besides no one knows Cornelia is the guest speaker, so it's fine. Otherwise, Lloyd would've been here."

"I suppose," Suzaku said, although he felt some uncertainty, "it's a pity Chihiro didn't come along."

"I know she is shy, but she wanted to go yet she couldn't go," Cecile said feeling somewhat perplexed about it. She knew Chihiro wanted to, but she couldn't think why she refused.

Cecile wondered if it's because Chihiro couldn't swim.

"Suzaku," a voice behind him called out.

Suzaku turned around to see some familiar faces he wasn't expecting wearing their varied forms of swimming attire.

"Lelouch, Junko, Nunnally and you too Mukuro," Suzaku said as he felt surprised to see them, although he quickly suspected that with Junko's fame and influence she could've gotten a VIP invitation.

Lelouch was in the company of Nunnally and their maid Sayoko who was pushing the wheelchair of her young charge. Lelouch was wearing an open buttoned white shirt while wearing a black swim brief. He was carrying an inflatable yellow cartoonish piggy under one arm as he walked with Nunnally.

Nunnally wore a colorful and modest tankini with her long hair styled into a pair of long ponytails. Sayoko was dressed in a light green one-piece swimsuit with white trim and shoulder straps.

Mukuro wore the most modest swimsuit by far, a simple blue one-piece suit. It didn't seem to be much, but it complimented her hourglass figure and toned physique. On the other hand, Junko was wearing a black with red trimmed microkini that left much of Junko's body exposed. Suzaku's studied Lelouch's expression and judging from the determination he saw it dawned on him that Lelouch was not allowing Junko to compromise his composure despite her attempts.

 _Those two seem closer_ , Suzaku thought as he observed how they appeared to be interacting more closely than before.

"This is unexpected," Lelouch began before inquiring, "So what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Suzaku replied jokingly.

"For us, you can thank her," Lelouch pointing at Milly Ashford who was wearing a red bikini with a pair of sunglasses on top of her head. "Suzaku, allow me to introduce Milly Ashford the Student Council President of Ashford Academy."

"The one who's Vice President you used to be," Suzaku said remembering their discussion when Lelouch had told him about his previous school.

"You must be Suzaku," Milly said eagerly greeting him with a handshake, "as you just heard I am Milly. It is nice to meet you!"

"Likewise," Suzaku replied returning the handshake.

Milly began introducing Suzaku to the rest of the student council, each of them had been invited and were dressed in their own swimwear with Rivalz wearing orange swim trunks. Kallen wore a two-piece black swimsuit with a red cloth coat, Nina wore a very modest one-piece light green swimsuit with a sun hat atop her head, and Shirley was wearing a two piece light green swimsuit with a skirt-like attachment. However as Lelouch was distracted by observing Suzaku's introductions and first meetings to the Student Council, although Nina given her xenophobia was very nervous around him, someone else recognized Lelouch and approached him.

"Well I didn't think I would see a familiar face like yours here Lelouch," Sayaka greeted surprising Lelouch.

"Sayaka," Lelouch said turning around to face the young woman. He found himself captivated by Sayaka's appearance, which Lelouch acknowledged because of her exceptional charm and allure she possessed given that she was the Ultimate Pop Sensation.

Her choice of swimwear was a light blue string bikini with white strings with white ruffles outlining the upper half of her bikini above her bosom, but the bottom was a more modest bikini bottom that matched with her top regarding color. Around her waist was a matching light blue fabric that helped provide a more stylish look to her appearance.

Lelouch merely grinned, "I suppose being one of the most famous pop idols I shouldn't be surprised you got an invitation here."

"Well, I do have plenty of fans who are Britannian despite being Japanese."

"Are you here by yourself?" Lelouch inquired as he took a quick look around for members of Sayaka's group wondering if any of them was near.

Sayaka's saddened expression confirmed that she was indeed alone, "yes although I did ask them to come along, but…"

"I see," Lelouch said, but his mind was already contemplating possibilities why the members of Sweet Orchid wouldn't tag along with Sayaka. He had some ideas in mind, but without being better aquatinted with the other members of Sayaka's group he didn't have enough information to come up with anything concrete. "It wasn't my intention to sour your mood."

"No it's fine, you didn't know," Sayaka offered as a smile returned to her face, "but I am grateful to see someone I know here."

"Yes, but Suzaku, Junko and Mukuro are here as well so the more, the merrier I guess."

"That's a relief, but if you don't mind I would like to spend some time with you," Sayaka said, but at that moment Nunnally overheard her brother talking to someone, so she gestured for Sayoko to help wheel her over to her brother.

"Brother, who are you talking to?"

"Nunnally, this is Sayaka," Lelouch said providing introductions, "and Sayaka this is my younger sister Nunnally."

"Sayaka as in Sayaka Maizono," Nunnally asked.

"That's right; your brother tells me you are a fan."

"Yes, I am," Nunnally replied while cutely blushing in embarrassment, "I listened to all of your songs."

Sayaka merely smiled while trying not to laugh, but it wasn't out of mockery of anything kind because she found Lelouch's younger sister adorable.

Junko was casually observing the scene unfolding before her and noticed how much Sayaka seemed interested in Lelouch, although she had been under the impression Sayaka and Makoto had something between them yet it didn't seem to be the case. There were signs of a mutual attraction, but nothing seemed to have really developed between them unless Sayaka was actually more interested in Lelouch.

 _The fact he saved her from her sleazy manager who was trying to get her into bed to use as a toy probably went a long way with her._

At that moment a devious thought came to mind as a smile appeared on Junko's face.

 _I should do a little digging into her the other members of her group, but I think you'll make_ _an excellent_ _second lover for Lelouch._

Junko thought as her eyes appraised Sayaka's body. She knew Sayaka was quite attractive and had an alluring charm that won her many fans, who were both boys and girls, and yet seeing her bikini body only cemented her opinion that Sayaka should be the next member of the harem she planned to build for Lelouch.

 _She has_ _a nice_ _rack with a chest size that is almost as a big as mine, but just smaller by two centimeters. Smooth and creamy skin from the looks of it and_ _beautiful_ _shapely legs with curves in all of the right places, so I think we have a winner for lover number two._

However, to fit with some of Junko's darker designs, she took note that Sayaka's charms and ability to win a crowd over could be very useful to both and her Lelouch. The most obvious was to spread despair, which Junko could use Sayaka as a vector to spread despair, unknowingly or otherwise, especially should Lelouch die. If he died, then she and Sayaka as the grieving widows of the hero could motivate Lelouch's followers into seeking bloody vengeance which would create a golden opportunity for spreading despair.

On the other hand, killing Sayaka was bound to have potentially the same effect as murdering Lelouch given her status as a beloved pop idol, and while it would bring despair to Lelouch and many, it was possible to use this to her advantage in more ways than one.

 _Just the same if Lelouch and Sayaka were lovers and if she became close to Zero and the Black Knights she could act as a morale booster to get them motivated. Not to mention her skills as winning over crowds could win over more supporters too._

Overall Junko ruled that Sayaka would prove very useful to both her and Lelouch. The fact that Junko suspected that given the conditions of the entertainment industry in Area 11, she alleged that Sayaka might be supportive of Zero and his actions. Junko also believed there were other factors, but she would need to get some info on her bandmates and Sayaka herself.

If her suspicions were correct then bringing Sayaka into the fold could be done more efficiently than she could imagine, although it might be boring the payoff would make it worth it.

Junko was distracted from her thoughts when she heard a sigh of annoyance.

"What's your problem?"

"Nothing," Shirley snapped with barely restrained annoyance and anger, "I just saw Lulu and…"

"You are sore about the fact that he is giving other girls more attention than you who have a crush on him," Junko said shocking Shirley, "don't act so surprised virtually everyone on the Student Council knows you got a thing for Lelouch, except for the person in question."

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well duh, but you lost your chance already," Junko said deciding to drop a bomb on Shirley. "Lelouch and I are a couple."

"WHAT!?" Shirley exclaimed, but thankfully the background noise from the nearby groups talking coupled with music playing out loudspeakers kept everyone else from noticing. "When did you two hook up?"

"Shortly before that hotel hijacking, you guys were caught up in," Junko answered, and part of the reason Milly brought them all to the Clovisland Pool was to escape Ashford Academy.

Being shown on television among the hostages made Nina, Shirley and Milly targets of the other students who annoyed them with questions day in and day out no matter where they were. Even the media had begun camping outside of Ashford Academy were trying to catch them for questioning. Milly and the others had to sneak out of the school just to come here.

Shirley seemed saddened by this revelation, but attempted a comeback with, "are you upset Lelouch is flirting with another girl?"

"Flirting," Junko asked raising an eyebrow, "wow are you so smitten with him that you take a simple conversation he is having with another girl to assume treachery."

"No, but," Shirley said trying to explain herself.

"You should've been more aggressive and made a move instead of being shy, but now you lost your chance. Besides, it wouldn't have worked out," Junko said as her voice was like a punch to the gut. "If you are so quick to assume the worse by believing Lelouch is someone who would flirt with other girls so easily under the delusion that he is courting them or the girl in question is courting him then you don't know Lelouch at all."

Shirley was left speechless, but at the same time, Junko's words might've been too hurtful for her to respond with a counter-argument.

"We both know that if Lelouch were really a playboy as you seem to wrongly believe when he is flirting with a girl, then he likely would've had most of the girls at Ashford Academy romanced, but we, or rather, I know Lelouch better than that. He would never flirt or even sleep with a girl on a whim, he is more complicated than that and building a relationship with someone like that isn't easy."

Junko masked her satisfaction with a cold expression, but internally she was grinning evilly.

 _It's a small amount, but what sweet despair._

With nothing further to say she left behind a saddened and shaken Shirley.

Meanwhile, Suzaku was forced to interrupt the conversation between Sayaka, Nunnally, and Lelouch.

"Lelouch I need to tell you something," Suzaku said while speaking as quietly as possible as he thought it would be best if Sayaka didn't overhear what he had to say.

"What is it," Lelouch answered after seizing the chance as Sayaka and Nunnally began talking to one another.

"You both need to know the reason I am here," Suzaku said before explaining, "I am on guard duty for the special guest speaker for the opening ceremony."

"Special Guest?" Lelouch asked before running several possibilities through his mind, which caused Lelouch to realize the likely cause for Suzaku's concern. "You mean the Viceroy?"

Suzaku nodded before saying, "As long as you and Nunnally stay here you should both be fine."

As if on cue a round of applause began before an announcer standing on a stage located on the far side of the swimming pool grounds welcomed Cornelia and Euphy who took to the stage wearing their Clovis designed swimwear, if you could even call it that. Junko's own bikini, for as revealing as it was, was far more modest compared to the black bikini Cornelia was wearing what appeared to be some black strings holding a few patches of cloth together that covered specific areas, but just barely.

Euphy's own bikini was similar, but hers was purple instead of black with a white top and bottom underneath alongside some thin pink cloth that provided some modesty.

"Today," Cornelia began preferring not to waste any time because the sooner she finished the sooner she could get out of the bikini she was wearing, "I am pleased to announce that Clovisland Pool, one of many public works projects begun by my dear brother, has been safely completed. This recreational facility shall serve as a tribute for all those in the colonies who dedicated their lives to building the national prestige of Britannia as we strive to bring enlightenment to the elevens."

Sayaka and Junko both cringed at the sight of Cornelia and Euphy's choice of attire.

"I am willing to bet money that little sister of the Viceroy probably pressed her older sister into wearing that crime against fashion," Junko commented.

"They are lucky," Sayaka said recalling the embarrassing and shameful photo shoots where she had to poise in Clovis's line of swimwear, "what I had to wear when I had to model for his swimwear makes their swimsuits look more modest in comparison."

Junko nodded in agreement, "tell me about it. I swear if I had to model with one more piece of fashion designed by Clovis I would've hung myself."

Sayaka shuddered, but out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Lelouch was staring at Cornelia with an intense stare.

 _Why is he looking at her with such hatred in his eyes?_

* * *

Thankfully the rest of their time at the Clovisland Pool was uneventful, which was helped by the fact that Cornelia had no desire to linger in the open wearing such swimwear. Even Lelouch was mindful and on guard, and thankfully they were far enough away that neither Cornelia nor Euphy could see them. On the other hand, things were complicated that he had Junko and Sayaka spending most of their time in his presence, which caused Lelouch to earn some jealous glares from some passing males.

The fact that both Junko and Sayaka were well-known celebrities in Area 11 didn't help matters.

As the day neared its close Nunnally and Sayaka wanted to spend more time together and even allow Nunnally to meet the rest of her idol group, so with Sayoko accompanying them, Lelouch allowed it. Milly was interested and decided to tag along willing to be the second chaperone for Nunnally, which only put Lelouch more at ease enabling Nunnally to spend an evening with Sayaka and her group. He didn't distrust Sayaka, nor was he worried that something would befall Nunnally, but Lelouch always felt more comfortable when he had more than one way to assure the safety of his younger sister.

Alone with Junko, the pair began walking around the city on what could be called an unofficial date because it led to Lelouch following Junko to the top of an incomplete building that was under construction.

They made their way near the top where steel girders surrounded them with the floor below them barely completed, but it was enough as Lelouch decided to lean against a steel beam, after making sure it was secured to stay steady because of the strong winds at ten stories high. Junko wasn't bothered at all by it, although the wind was blowing against her skirt and hair causing them to move with the wind.

"You know things have gotten interesting."

"You mean the power I have along with the possibility of the Emperor not only possessing a power similar to mines but who has command over others who possess such power?" Lelouch asked knowing what Junko was implying, although it would seem unusual to an observer on the outside for Lelouch, it was very worrying for one who was seeking to the topple Empire the Emperor in question ruled.

His only advantage at this point was that Lelouch knew about it, and his father, the Emperor, did not.

"I know you find the issue concerning and you should," Junko said acknowledging that as interesting as she found these latest developments she knew Lelouch would have more caused to be worried than interested by these revelations. "Yet for me who has found little joy in living or could find anything that I didn't grow mind-numbingly bored of I find all of this exciting."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow and decided to inquire further, "Was this related to something that happened to you?"

"No, but you know how I have analytical abilities right?"

Lelouch nodded his head as Junko looked back at him over the shoulder before walking to the edge of the steel beam that extended outward.

"You know my abilities allow me to see and predict events twelve steps ahead of everyone else. Now imagine that being applied to everything, knowing _everything_ that will happen every day. Take for example children becoming dazzled when they discover something new, and they talk about it for days or maybe years."

Lelouch realized what she was implying, and it explained her lack of apathy when they first met.

It wasn't so much because of the lack of apathy, but maybe it was a result of it. It was clear that Junko's talent had allowed her as a child to come to a complete understanding about the world including concepts of death, war and more than any child her age should've known which apparently had an effect on her mentally growing up. As a result of understanding everything and knowing what would happen Lelouch understood that Junko's seemingly pleasure seeking nature, such as her desire to create a harem for him and willingly involving herself in Milly's schemes and parties was an effort to find something joyful in her life that she could enjoy.

"You figured it out I imagine?"

"Yes, so your talent is more of a curse," Lelouch said as he found himself sympathizing with her. "You came to grasp and understand everything in the world and knowing what would happen left you without the feeling of joy and lacking a sense of purpose in life where you know where every choice you make will lead to."

"That's right, but I am telling you this because I know you felt it too," Junko said as she was tip-toeing along the edge of the steel beam and one wrong misstep could send her plummeting ten stories to the ground below. "The boredom of the so-called life you led as Lelouch Lamperouge, and the fact that was a lie and a mask you were forced to wear for the sake of survival."

Despite being apparently worried for her safety, Lelouch didn't intervene because a part of him was confident that Junko wouldn't fall to her death.

Internally Lelouch understood the boredom and hate for the lie of the life he was forced to live under the care of the Ashford Family, which allowed him to grasp the issue Junko was faced with. He knew it didn't quite compare to her problem of finding something that could free her of the boredom of her life and find something worthwhile that could give her a sense of living a more meaningful life.

"I can predict many things and people, but you Lelouch are the only person I had a hard time predicting your future. The addition of Geass and C.C. becoming involved having only compounded matters even more, and that's why I," Junko began finding that she was hesitating, which amused her internally, but she wanted the words spoken.

 _You are_ _just_ _amazing to make me hesitate like this, which is all the more reason I want you._

Junko stepped away from the edge and walked towards Lelouch before tenderly placing her hands on his shoulders before sliding her hands along his neck to cup his face. Lelouch didn't move, but instead, he met Junko's gaze seeing a sense of yearning.

"I love you," Junko managed at last while internally intrigued by her hesitant to speak such words.

As twisted and monstrous Junko was she understood love, although her perception of love was twisted to a degree others would not agree with. The most notable of this was the treatment of Mukuro, although she reframed abusing or belittling her sister in Lelouch's presence, or in the presence of anyone who could tell Lelouch, she considered it a form of love for her older twin. It didn't help matters that Junko found out that Mukuro was a masochist, which only allowed Junko to subject her own sister to more depraved acts of love.

On the other hand what she felt for Lelouch was love, but it was different which intrigued her while at the same time only furthered her attraction for the young man who made her heart race in a way that nothing, except despair, could accomplish. Even if she had developed a relationship with Yasuke, she knew beyond a doubt that he could never make her feel what Lelouch made her feel.

Lelouch vi Britannia was unique and being around him made the world more interesting.

"For the first time, I actually feel alive when I am with you. Even when we were in danger together in Shinjuku in all of the chaos and death around us, I never felt so alive, and you pulled me into something that has opened up new worlds to me." Junko said slowly, but there was a sense of intimacy in her voice that added more impact and meaning to her words.

Junko didn't mention that the despair she felt, as she and Lelouch were about to be gunned down and when Junko witnessed him murder Clovis in cold blood with such despair in his eyes was more exquisite because it wasn't despair she created. The most of the despair Junko experienced was typically her own creation, diluted it, which led to the despair she experienced that she had no hand in creating was among the most exceptional favor of despair she could taste.

In the back of her mind, she knew the future could provide more opportunities if she were patient, but Junko didn't know how or when which excited her because she couldn't predict what the future would hold for them.

Lelouch took a deep breath, although he wondered if he was making the right decision he also contemplated if things were moving too quickly.

"I love you Junko," Lelouch said without hesitation after considering his thoughts for a moment before he wrapped his arms around the young woman taking her into a passionate kiss.

Unlike the kiss they had shared before in his apartment, this one was more intense, this was similar to the one they had shared the night before as Junko left for the night. He walked with her to the door, and during what should've been a tender embrace with a light kiss Junko wrapped her arms around Lelouch tightly and slipped her tongue in-between his lips. At that point, the kiss and their embrace became more passionate as Lelouch was pinned against the door by Junko. To Lelouch's own surprise he found that he was willingly running his hands across her hourglass figure.

Things might've taken a more intimate turn had C.C. not interrupted them much to Junko's annoyance, although Lelouch was secretly grateful because he worried if their relationship was progressing too quickly.

In a reversal to last night, Lelouch turned the tables on Junko and switched places with her pinning her to the steel beam the former had been leaning against moments ago.

 _I felt so annoyed that I allowed her to get to me not just once, but twice._

Lelouch thought as a part of him, the more prideful aspect, believed he was better than the hormones coursing through his body. However, their first kiss Lelouch had time to evaluate his feelings for Junko and realized the reason he was more open to Junko and allowing her to get closer to him was because out of everyone involved in his life only Junko and Mukuro honestly knew Lelouch vi Britannia.

Not even Nunnally knew what Lelouch was keeping from her, but this was because that Lelouch withheld specific thoughts from her that he knew he couldn't share with Nunnally.

On the other Lelouch was able to share those thoughts with Mukuro and Junko.

More accurate to say he could speak and share thoughts with the two sisters he couldn't share with anyone else.

Besides Junko and Mukuro, the only ones who would understand his motivations for his recent actions would be Milly and Nunnally. He knew they wouldn't accept the fact he had spilled blood, and in Nunnally's case, she wouldn't approve of the murder of an older half-sibling no matter how much he deserved it. Junko and Mukuro were different, especially Junko as she possessed a view of the world that was different than his and others. She was a closer friend than Suzaku, and he was more comfortable with sharing secrets and talking to her more than Suzaku and Nunnally.

 _Maybe that's it,_ _perhaps_ _some part of me wanted this because I can count on her during my war to topple Britannia._

Lelouch admitted internally that Junko was among those who could point out potential flaws in his plans and thinking, and was willing to stand her ground against him. It was perhaps something he found appealing compared to all of the annoying and fawning fangirls he had to deal with at Ashford Academy who would likely act submissive to him for the sake of earning his affections while others would see him as a trophy to be claimed. Junko was a wild card and brutally honest when it came to some matters, and she was willing to bring up topics and conversations he needed to address while he might've avoided them.

 _Should we be in a relationship right now?_

This was the most pressing question in Lelouch's mind because he knew his war against Britannia will be a long one, and there was a possibility he could be killed along the way despite having no intention of loosing. Furthermore, a part of him was concerned that a relationship while he is trying to wage war could compromise his judgment and become more of a liability than an asset should his enemies find out.

Of course, he hadn't even addressed Junko's intentions of involving other women in his love life.

"Junko," Lelouch began breaking the kiss leaving a panting Junko in his arms as her blue eyes had become hazy with lustful desire, "don't you think we are advancing our relationship a little too fast?"

"Actually," Junko said as she was regaining her composure after locking lips and intertwining her tongue with Lelouch that felt like minutes instead of seconds because the kiss had last a half a minute, "I am wondering why I led you up here?"

"Trying to pick a dramatic and unexpected location for our chat?" Lelouch answered as he held Junko close to him.

"Maybe, but we are close aren't we?" Junko answered before whispering seductively into his left ear. "I left Hope's Peak Academy during middle school to be with you. Life is short Lelouch we should just indulge ourselves, and besides, you want this right? We have been through a lot together so why shouldn't we?"

Lelouch had no counter-argument, but he did offer.

"I just don't want to ruin this, although I don't want this becoming a liability?"

"That will be up to you, but let's go somewhere else."

As the two were leaving the construction site Lelouch's cell phone began ringing. He took his phone out of his pocket where he saw the caller ID was coming from Sayoko.

"Sayoko, is something wrong?" Lelouch asked with a hint of worry because there was little reason for Sayoko calling him unless something had happened. Junko merely watched, although she was mildly annoyed that their time together was being interrupted.

"Lelouch-sama you must come to Tokyo Hospital, something terrible has happened."

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater:**

Monokuma was dressed in a blue suit with a red tie sitting behind a desk as a giant monitor behind him began displaying the words.

 **Channel 5 Despairing News**

"In breaking news today, we need to talk about a growing problem of youth violence, so let's blame it on something." Monokuma began as the monitor behind him showed images of dozens of identical Monokuma robots wearing colorful bennies rioting through a city street destroying vehicles and storefronts. "Look at them so rowdy, but are they really a bunch of badasses or just a bunch of spineless cowards. You just need to get them one on one to be sure."

A Monokuma's suggestion a group of Monokuma themed Knightmare Frames began chasing down the violent rioters who started fleeing at the approaching armed mechs.

"This is pretty black and white, but I don't care about your despair unless it's real."

Another Monokuma handed Newscaster Monokuma a sheet of paper.

"This just in, in the next chapter we might see some lemons. What kind, well stay tuned after this commercial break."

* * *

A/N: well I had some concerns about furthering the relationship between Junko and Lelouch, but the people I discussed the matter with seemed alright with it. As Lelouch mentioned, I was worried about rushing it too quickly or making it feel too forceful and heavy-handed.

On the subject of relationships, I do apologize if anyone felt like I was bashing Shirley in any way, which it was unintentional if anyone thinks that I was. However, I do believe that I am doing Shirley a favor, because if she gets involved with Lelouch and Junko, then she is most likely to be driven crazy or worse (depending on how specific events play out.)

And now what has happened with Sayaka? I don't recall mentioning the members of her group and what sacrifices they might've had to endure for the sake of their careers or for Sayaka's sake even.

Kallen, Sayaka, and Seiko will be involved in the next chapter as we move closer and closer to the Second Killing Game (I am looking at doing it before Narita, but if conditions aren't right I might postpone it until after, which could be the key to completing the final setup conditions).

Will there be lemons next chapter? Maybe, but even if I did pull one off, I would probably post it on another site like Archive of our Own to avoid trouble with site administrations. But we'll see how it all goes next chapter as we in the words of Monokuma "let's leave all of this entertainment behind and start counting down to the next Killing Game."

I will look forward to your reviews and feedback and thank you in advance.


	18. Chapter 18 Giving it up

A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed and yes to answer the question of an anonymous reviewer there will be some Mukuro moments coming soon. I picked this chapter's title based off of one of the achievements/trophies from Danganronpa V3, and I am sure it's a clear sign of what is likely to happen in this chapter.

I did consider holding it back for another chapter or two, but after some consideration, I decided to go ahead with it as I couldn't imagine any other time later in the story that would work.

Anyway, without further delay let us proceed.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their mind"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

 **Giving it up**

Traveling by taxi, the two arrived at the Tokyo Hospital where Nunnally, Milly, and Sayoko were waiting with Sayaka. During their journey to the hospital, Sayoko had briefed Lelouch about what had happened. The group encountered members of Hope's Peak Academy Security where Sayaka discovered what had befallen her friends. According to the head of security, who they met with at Sayaka's apartment, informed them that a raid was conducted early upon an underground club where some illicit activities and meetings with various criminals take place.

The police, under the direct supervision of Homeland Intelligence, raided the club. Lelouch learned it was part of Cornelia's efforts to crack down on internal corruption. To not only enforce discipline at the highest levels of government and the military but to clean out those engaging in criminal acts by catching them in the scene to give them little means of defense. The reason for the raid in the first place is due to the club possessing a reputation for meeting with criminal elements that sold and traded military secrets, intelligence, and weapons. It was merely the tip of the iceberg, but it was enough for Cornelia to order a raid.

As the police rounded everyone up, they discovered the members of Sayaka's idol group in the back of the club that operated a small brothel for wealthy clients.

 _I thought my Geass should've prevented something like that. I guess the other members of Sweet Orchid wasn't worth managing_ , Lelouch thought as he and Junko entered an elevator.

Lelouch learned that the individual members of Sweet Orchid, expect for Sayaka, were managed by the assistant to the man Lelouch ensnared with his Geass. It was no secret that Sayaka was the key to the group's success, which meant the other members weren't worth managing, so his assistant handled their solo performances and photo shoots.

That was just on the surface, but in reality, Lelouch thought as he remembered the more unpleasant details Sayoko shared with him over the phone.

He learned that the assistant to Sayaka's manager, through means unknown presently, had coaxed the members of Sayaka's idol group into selling their bodies as part of the club's brothel. Lelouch suspected blackmail and threats, but without any information, he could only speculate.

Turning a corner as Junko and Lelouch made their way through the hospital they came upon Milly, Nunnally, and Sayoko. The latter was busy talking to a tall, muscular man standing an impressive six feet tall with short dark greenish hair with pink eyes and a tanned complexion. He wore the blue coat and suit that Lelouch recognized belonged to the Chief of Security of Hope's Peak Academy.

"There you are," Milly said noticing the pairs' arrival.

"Where is Sayaka?" Junko asked as she scanned the area for the pop star.

"Inside that room," Nunnally answered as she pointed to a room opposite of where they stood.

"Thank you for coming so promptly Lelouch-sama," Sayoko greeted.

"How is Sayaka," Lelouch asked, but he knew Sayaka wasn't okay from an emotional perspective.

He couldn't even begin to guess how Sayaka must've reacted when found out, and the condition of her friends likely worsened it.

"I recognize you," the taller man began, "you are part of the new students for this year. You are in the same class as Miss Maizono."

"Lelouch-sama this is Juzo Sakakura, the Chief of Security and the former Ultimate Boxer," Sayoko said introducing the intimidating former Ultimate Boxer.

"Sayoko here has filled me in on a few details that have helped our investigation," Juzo said before explaining, "I did have a few questions I wanted to ask you, so thank you for coming."

"Sayaka is my friend and classmate, so I'll help in any way I can," Lelouch offered, but at the same time he was hoping he could use the subsequent discussion as a means to collect more details about what had happened.

"You spoke to Sayaka's manager before the entrance ceremony at the academy, right?"

"That's right," Lelouch answered. "I was browsing around for an apartment, and I was conducting an inspection of said apartments to see which ones could offer the best escape routes during a disaster if my sister moved in or visited."

That wasn't wholly true, but it would be sufficient to convince anyone who knew Lelouch to a doting and overprotective brother. Lelouch recalled and provided Juzo with a retelling of events involving Sayaka and her manager, although he did face the issue of offering a better explanation regarding how he convinced her manager to stop his unwanted advances without revealing his Geass.

 _Now that I think about it_ , Lelouch thought.

Lelouch suspected her manager must've been trying to press her into joining that brothel along with the rest of Sweet Orchid.

 _No, I am positive that's exactly what was happening_ , Lelouch concluded internally.

"So you managed to bribe him and talk him out of forcing Miss Maizono into," Juzo said, although he was trying to find the proper words of choice.

"I think he was trying to push her into joining that club's brothel alongside her friends. Or I suspect that is what he must've been trying to do," Lelouch said, but he was positive that bastard was also trying to force Sayaka into sleeping with him to preserve her career. "Thankfully because of Monokuma's Killing Game I convinced him that any kind of scandal involving some of Sayaka's fame could draw some unwanted attention."

Juzo had one hand on his chin in careful contemplation, "Or end up a target in one of Monokuma's sick games. Given how he went for those with the most skeletons in their closets."

"It wasn't easy, but when I mentioned unwanted attention, he seemed to begin backing off," Lelouch said lying with ease.

"I guess that lines up with what police found so far," Juzo said as Lelouch listened intensively to catch any useful details. "He was in the middle of a nasty divorce with his wife, so to keep him from cheating her out of anything she had hired a private investigator to get any kind of dirt she could use."

Lelouch noticed something in that last statement and given the questions he was asked he suspected Sayaka's manager was no longer among the living.

"He's dead isn't he?"

"Yes," Juzo replied, "I guess you noticed that."

"I suspected he was either arrested during the raid or somehow he ended up dead," Lelouch said. "Otherwise you wouldn't be questioning me about my encounter with him."

However, Lelouch believed that Sayaka's manager had likely ended up dead because of the order he had given him with his Geass to protect and work with Sayaka for her best interests and not forcing her into sex with him or anyone else.

 _I can't imagine his assistant was happy with his boss's sudden change,_ Lelouch thought as he suspected what events led to his death.

Its merely a question of how he died, but Lelouch was sure his assistant was somehow involved.

"Not quite, but around the time of the raid a fight between them broke out. In the ensuing struggle, the assistant clubbed his own boss to death with an iron pipe. We suspect he must've been planning to kill him, but the raid interrupted his plan. We don't suspect you of anything, but the school does investigate any student who might've been involved, indirectly or otherwise, as a precaution."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed as a thought came to mind, _so the school can protect its own reputation since I imagine Hope's Peak Academy doesn't want any bad PR that could lead to people noticing the experiments they are carrying out in secret._

He wasn't that surprised by such a move given how much the academy valued its reputation as a prestigious academy being supported by the Britannian Homeland and the Emperor in a way, so it was unlikely they would allow anything to tarnish that reputation let alone permit any of its dark secrets to be exposed.

"What about Sayaka?"

"She's fine," Juzo answered, "And thanks to our own investigation into this matter you don't have to worry about something happening to her much like that fiasco with Suzaku Kururugi and Clovis's assassination. The school does look after its most prized students."

Lelouch suspected something else Juzo wasn't telling them, which led to him turning to Nunnally.

"Milly and Sayoko," Lelouch said addressing the two, "why don't you take Nunnally home. I am sorry you couldn't meet the rest of Sayaka's idol group."

Nunnally seemed disappointed, but she understood it was best if she left since there was little she could do to help Sayaka.

"I am sorry to have interrupted your evening with Junko," Nunnally apologized.

"Don't worry about it," Junko answered with a dismissive gesture, "this was something beyond your control, so you have no reason to apologize."

"We'll take care of Nunnally," Milly offered with a disappointed expression.

"I appreciate it, and we'll make sure Sayaka is alright before we leave," Lelouch said before hugging his sister goodbye and sending them on their way.

"It was nice seeing you again Juzo, but please give Chisa and Kyosuke my regards," Sayoko said to Juzo before turning to Lelouch, "take care, and I'll see you tomorrow."

"Thank you Sayoko," Lelouch replied.

Juzo merely smiled, "don't worry I'll tell them when I see them."

As the group departed, Lelouch made a minor mental note to inquire to Sayoko about her relationship with Juzo since he couldn't shake the feeling they knew each other. Still, that was a question for another time, and he had a more important question to ask Juzo.

Lelouch waited until Nunnally, Milly, and Sayoko were out of earshot before Lelouch inquired, "So tell me what became of the assistant?"

 _I can't shake the feeling he wasn't arrested,_ _otherwise,_ _why would there be any concern for Sayaka?_ Lelouch wondered internally, although it might've been just that Hope's Peak Academy had wanted to ensure there was nothing Sayaka was involved with that could be damaging to the school's reputation. On the other hand, Lelouch was sure there was something else.

Juzo hesitated before he relented, "they caught him, but he brought his way out of police custody."

Lelouch didn't seem surprised by this, which only reinforced the reason why Hope's Peak Security became involved and took steps to ensure any potential blame couldn't be redirected onto Sayaka, especially given what happened to Suzaku after Clovis was killed.

"I see, so I assume he has gone underground?"

"I think so, but beyond that, I don't know anything else," Juzo replied as Lelouch noticed the barely restrained anger as he was apparently displeased with the man walking free given that he was the one who put Sayaka's friends through hell.

Junko smiled, faintly, as she thought; _I guess the Black Knights have their next target._

"Would it be alright if we could see Sayaka now?" Lelouch asked.

"I won't stop you, but I don't need to tell you Sayaka is probably not in a talkative mood," Juzo said recalling how crushed Sayaka was when she arrived.

"I understand, but I simply can't leave her unattended like this," Lelouch said as he prepared himself for what would come next.

"I'll be with him," Junko offered before she followed Lelouch into the room where the members of Sayaka's idol group were being kept.

Juzo didn't interfere and allowed the two to enter, but he was hopeful they could provide Sayaka with the help she likely needed.

Without any hesitation, Lelouch quietly opened the door and entered the large room where he saw four occupied beds, and Sayaka was sitting in a chair at the bedside of one of them. Lelouch glanced around the room taking in the state of Sayaka's friends and bandmates. The doctors had done an excellent job tending to their injuries, but the bandages on their arms, wrists, and necks led Lelouch to contemplate what state they must've been found in.

 _They were_ _apparently_ _beaten and abused in ways I can't even begin to…_

Lelouch cursed his own mind for going through and providing possible scenarios that led to their current state, which was only worsened by the fact that all of Sayaka's friends were seemingly awake as they sat up in bed. The monitors linked to them provided a somewhat visible indication they were alive, but judging from their blank expressions and empty eyes they were invalid.

 _Were they even aware of what they were being subjected to?_

He wondered if the drugs were used to make them more compliant or if they used them as a means of coping with the horrors they endured, or both. The doctors might've done an exceptional job patching up the physical damage, but Lelouch couldn't even begin to imagine the depths of the physiological damage and trauma they suffered as a result. It didn't help Lelouch that his own mind kept going through possible scenarios that left him feeling sickened because he knew this was just the tip of the iceberg when he suspected the depravity they suffered over what Lelouch suspects, although he had no real means to honestly know how long this has gone on for.

Studying the expressions and states of the bedridden girls, Lelouch examined the cart belonging to one of the girls. Reading through the information and looking over the symptoms and condition that was listed Lelouch suspected one drug was the cause for their invalid state, which was helped further by the fact that he knew that one drug could cause such a condition if used for an extended period of time.

 _I am_ _confident_ _refrain was used, which would explain the fact they appear to be_ _invalid_ _._

Lelouch thought as he was familiar with the drug that had been used on them. He had done some research on it in preparation for hunting down the various dealers of the illegal substance, which allowed him to deduce it was the substance used on Sayaka's friends judging from their appearance and the information gleaned from the cart of one of the girls. The fact that Lelouch knew their invalid state could only be caused by long-term use of refrain just confirmed Lelouch's suspicions that Sayaka's friends must've endured this for a long time meaning the abuse and treatment as brothel workers could've been going on for months.

Maybe even longer for all Lelouch knew.

 _I would just need to get confirmation to be sure, and if that is the_ _case,_ _it gives me a potential lead I can follow._

With that thought in mind, Lelouch had only to tend to damage control. Lelouch quietly approached Sayaka as he held the hand of one of her friends, Lelouch recognized the girl as Satomi Aoba who was seemingly identical to Sayaka regarding hair color and eye color from all of the photos he had seen of the group. Their appearances were similar too, but Lelouch knew for a fact that both Satomi and Sayaka were not sisters.

Lelouch stood behind Sayaka as she was crying while holding the hand of her friend, although Lelouch wanted to say something he found the opportunity to speak and what words to say difficult knowing situations like these must be handled delicately.

Thankfully for Lelouch, the young woman before him spoke, "why did this have to happen? We just wanted to make people smile, and it was a dream my friends, and I shared."

"You and your friends have no reason to blame themselves," Lelouch answered. "The people, Britannia are completely convinced of their superiority over others and feel entitled to indulge in whatever twisted fantasies they desire without consequences. This is especially true for members of the nobility or those who have the wealth and connections, all it would take is the right bribe here and there to get most people to look the other way. The fact you and your friends are Japanese means little to those in authority no matter how popular you but in fact, it would only serve the egos of those in power to make you all into their playthings."

Sayaka was quiet, although Lelouch's words were harsh it was the truth, and the proof was right in front of her.

"I am sorry if I sound cold, but I think it would be more hurtful than to look away from the truth than to face it. I don't doubt many of your fans would be angered by what happened, but it means little to those who hold power in Area 11 and its entertainment industry," Lelouch said, although he tried to be gentle with his words as best he could.

Sayaka was once again quiet, but after a moment she spoke.

"No, but you are right."

"Even so I am not asking you to accept it," Lelouch began prompting Sayaka to look up at him, "even if it's the truth there is no rule saying you have to like it."

"I know, but what should I do?"

"For the sake of your friends continue your dream, if they shared the same dream as you then you should continue on for their sake. It won't be easy I know, but I'll help you in any way I can that is within my power to do so." Lelouch offered as he put a hand on the chair, which Sayaka was sitting on. "Don't give a society that would enjoy seeing a non-Britannia crumble and fail the satisfaction of defeating you."

Sayaka turned around before looking up to meet Lelouch's gaze. She saw sympathy, but Sayaka saw something else that put her at ease, especially when she recalled the anger Lelouch displayed at the Viceroy.

"I'll try, but what can I do about my friends?"

"I don't know, but I know the damage caused by the drugs in their system will heal in time. I am certain however this will not go unpunished."

"You mean, Zero might go after them?" Sayaka asked almost hesitantly.

"The Black Knights have been targeting criminals and corrupt politicians as of late, and once word of this gets out, I am sure the man who put your friends through this will be hunted down," Lelouch said seemingly very sure of that fact.

Wiping away some tears from her eyes Sayaka smiled, "thank you, Lelouch."

* * *

Junko and Lelouch stayed with Sayaka until the hospital staff pushed her to leave for the night, so before returning to his apartment a weary Lelouch and Junko escorted Sayaka home. He wasn't tired from comforting Sayaka, but it seemed Lelouch would be much busier in the coming days. Junko knew it was a case of a win-win scenario for Lelouch and Sayaka. If Lelouch were to hunt down and punish the assistant manager who put Sayaka's friends through hell and exposed the corrupt justice department that allowed him to walk, then it would further the Black Knight's image as Knights of Justice and win additional support from the people.

Sayaka would get the benefit and the comforting knowledge that her friends were avenged.

 _That room in the hospital was filled with such sweet despair, although Lelouch's words did diminish it a bit it was so_ _beautiful_ _to take in,_ Junko thought, but she wondered what kind of state Sayaka's friends would be in if they recovered.

She couldn't imagine them recovering anytime soon even if the physical damage was healed.

 _No those girls have been damaged for life,_ _and_ _Sayaka knows it,_ Junko thought as she watched Lelouch lay down on the sofa.

Without hesitating Junko joined Lelouch on the sofa, although he paused at first Lelouch ultimately allowed her to cuddle up with him as she began hugging him from behind as he felt the alluring warmth of her body against his own. Lelouch adjusted accordingly until he had his back against Junko with the latter resting her head next to his while her arms were wrapped around his waist. He didn't want to admit it, but Lelouch felt more comfortable and at ease with Junko with the warmth of her body against his helped him feel more relaxed. His only reservations were that Lelouch feared his relationship with Junko was going to become a hindrance to his rebellion against Britannia, especially since he didn't want any unwanted distractions to bother him along the way.

Yet Junko was proving him wrong as had proven to be invaluable as an ally and someone he could trust and open up to more than anyone he knew.

On the other hand with C.C. nowhere to be seen Lelouch knew by allowing Junko this close to him will likely result in their relationship potentially taking a more intimate turn.

"Are you alright?"

Lelouch didn't look at Junko, but he did answer her.

"I knew those girls had to make some unpleasant sacrifices, but I never imagined anything like that," Lelouch said, but in reality, he knew deep down it was likely the case given some of the various nobles and people he had seen in some of the gambling dens and casinos he visited. Lelouch reasoned that some part of him was hoping to be wrong, but he should've known that reality would prove his worse fears to be true.

It should've been apparent when he discovered what Yuuma, back in the First Killing Game, had forced her own daughter to endure for the sake of their career. That only should've made Lelouch realize what Sayaka and her friends were likely suffering through, but it seemed Sayaka was fortunate although she was pressed into sacrificing her dignity for the sake of career.

All she had left was her virginity, but her friends were not as lucky which Lelouch understood must've been a ghastly experience for Sayaka when she found out.

"You suspected it through?"

"Yes I did, but I was really hoping for their sake that I would be wrong."

Junko studied Lelouch's features before realizing something else, "That isn't the only reason you seem wiped out isn't it?"

"Ever since I killed Clovis I expected some part of me to feel guilty for killing him, but with everything he did in Shinjuku, his secret projects and how he was part of a system that allowed Sayaka's friends to suffer like that. I feel no remorse for killing him even if Nunnally might feel otherwise I ultimately don't regret killing him." Lelouch said with a cold and hard tone of voice. "Knowing the bloody path I am on I am aware my actions will lead to the deaths of many on both sides, regardless if I intended it or not, but tonight has shown me that if my rebellion succeeds and Britannia falls then the new world will be something that'll be better for them."

"You have chosen a long and difficult road that much is sure especially with the possibility of the Emperor using agents with supernatural powers to stop you."

"That is true," Lelouch said in agreement, "but I am resolved to see this through to the end. I'll either succeed, or I'll die in the process; however, trying is better than simply just accepting my place among the mindless herds call masses."

"Give me liberty or give me death huh," Junko said causing Lelouch to grin.

"Gentlemen may cry Peace, Peace, but there is no peace. The war is actually begun; Patrick James I believe uttered those words around the time of the American Revolution."

"I am sure men like him were faced with some of the same issues as you, although different on an individual scale I am sure. Not everyone suddenly makes the decision to revolt against a country," Junko said as she held Lelouch closer to her.

"I don't doubt that, but maybe as a pragmatist and the research I have done in preparation helped me realize the road I shall walk and what will be expected of me," Lelouch said in a moment of calm clarity. "Knowing that I rather die fighting for a dream of a better world for Nunnally, and maybe one Sayaka and her friends can achieve their dreams without making such terrible sacrifices."

"You do know it may not work out that well?"

"That's true, but who can say the world that will be created when the old one is burned down won't be better? There is a chance it could be worse, but isn't an unchanging world far worse and _boring_ ," Lelouch answered with a smirk.

Junko merely laughed it off, "well I suppose that's true. Changing the world could either bring about the world you want or something else, but we won't know until it happens right?"

"Fair enough, and if the world doesn't turn out how I want it then I'll try again until it is just right?"

"You might be at this for a very long time then."

"Perhaps, but I am sure someone like you wouldn't mind since it could be interesting."

"Who can say," Junko said before adding with a mischievous glint in her eyes, "but I agree it could be interesting given what has happened so far."

"Indeed," Lelouch said in agreement as there were still many unknown factors to consider on the road ahead, but he needed to focus on the matters in front of him.

At that moment Junko moved closer to Lelouch's ear before whispering, "and I am willing to see it all through to the very end with you. I am especially curious to see what the full extent of your actions will cause and how the world will be affected by them."

Lelouch felt Junko move a hand onto his chest, although he was expecting this move from her. Still, he knew this was coming, but yet a part of him wanted it. He wondered if it was ok for them to further their relationship, especially in light of events surrounding Sayaka. Some wouldn't be in the mood, but it seemed that Junko wasn't going to be deterred.

"That's not all you want is it?" Lelouch asked aware of the fact he was taking the bull by the horns now.

Junko grinned before she playfully nibbled on his ear, "I told you already I love you. I am ready to show it."

"I don't think showing it is essential for a relationship," Lelouch said, although he would be lying he was tempted. On the other hand, he was glad at the level of self-control he was displaying compared to the last two moments things became heated between them.

It wasn't that he was embarrassed or ashamed because Lelouch was disappointed at how eager he was to kiss Junko and more. Lelouch cursed the hormones coursing through his body, but he couldn't deny that a part of him wanted things to advance between them. Not for the sake of intimacy, but instead he wanted to ensure that Junko would be with him because she, besides Mukuro, was closer to him than anyone else.

He valued her input, and their conversations were something he enjoyed her different view of the world, and her analytical abilities opened the door for discussions Lelouch couldn't have with anyone else.

 _I don't think this is something you can rush,_ the voice of reason within Lelouch's mind told him.

Closing his eyes, Lelouch carefully contemplated the choices in front of him while weighing the potential consequences of said choices. Junko's continued roaming upon his body didn't help matters, which was something else Lelouch was shocked after realizing he had grown accustomed to so quickly.

 _You know you want Junko to be more than a friend, given how much you have shared with her already._

Lelouch acknowledged that was true, but still, a part of him didn't want to ruin their relationship if he rushed it too quickly.

Taking a deep breath and throwing caution to the wind Lelouch decided to take a risky gamble, although he knew how the evening would end once he proceeded.

 _I don't know if this is the right thing to do or not, but…_

Lelouch craned his neck to meet Junko's lips while using one hand to cup her cheek before slipping it into her hair towards the back of her head allowing Lelouch to draw her closer to capture her lips in a kiss. Lelouch felt the lovely scent of tropical fruits fill his nostrils which only relaxed him while indulging in his kiss with Junko as the latter sought to deepen it. Like the last kiss, it began softly, but once their respective tongues gained entrance into other's mouth, then the kiss went from lingeringly and slow savoring the moment to tentatively and insistent.

To further the level of closeness between them Junko began moving one of her legs over Lelouch's legs, which allowed the latter to run a hand up her leg starting from her knee before slowly traveling up until sliding over her thigh. Lelouch marveled at how soft her creamy skin felt as his hand slid higher touching Junko's smooth thigh, although the more he became loss during his kissing with Junko his hand began moving higher up her leg.

A delighted moan escaped her lips before a shiver caused Lelouch to pause, which led him to realize his hand had traveled much higher than he intended.

Lelouch expected Junko to be upset, but contrary to what he assumed she was pleased.

"Aren't we bold," Junko purred seductively.

"You know if we go ahead with this we can't take it back?"

"True, but why would we regret it?" Junko asked, but Lelouch thought about an answer he could give.

"Maybe we won't, but it doesn't bother you our relationship is progressing rather quickly?"

"A normal couple might be bothered by that or not if they just in for it for the physical aspect of the relationship, but we aren't a normal couple because of the fact we aren't normal people. I think we are both aware of this," Junko said before removing herself from Lelouch and standing up before offering her hand. "Who else is there for us really? Who would accept us for what we are and what we want in this world? I don't think every woman will react well to your true identity and what your life goals are, although there are some who might yet they might not agree with you as much as me."

Lelouch sat up on the sofa and looked up at Junko as blue eyes met amethyst eyes.

"I can't deny that, and besides Milly, Sayoko, Suzaku, Mukuro and you no one else knows the real me."

"The real you," Junko questioned, "then you might as well cross everyone but Mukuro and me off that list."

He chuckled at that point, "I should rephrase that, but my point still stands. However, only you and Mukuro know what I have done and what I plan to do."

"Because of how I am ordinary people and this world bores me to death, except for you," Junko pointed out. "Everything that someone else might find dazzling I see empty brilliance, a gray and dull world. I want to share the journey with you, and I am ready to commit my heart and body to you."

Junko unbuttoned her black cardigan before carelessly allowing it to fall to the floor, which was followed by her tie.

She offered her hand to Lelouch again, but said, "because of the path we walk maybe we both know it could end at any time. Isn't better we embrace what we feel and just ride the wave, because no one completes me like you Lelouch, so I am ready if you are."

Lelouch merely grinned, but joking aside he couldn't deny the possibility of him being killed during his war with Britannia could happen. Standing up from the sofa Lelouch removed the brown jacket he usually wore as part of his casual outfit, letting it join Junko's discarded cardigan on the floor.

He still had some lingering reservations, but it wasn't enough to deter Lelouch as he accepted Junko's hand before following her to his bedroom.

* * *

 **Speical Monokuma Theater:**

Monokuma appeared to be standing in the middle of an amusement park themed around mice, but more specifically he was outside what seemed to be some kind of cartoonish house with a pink and red color scheme with hearts decorating it. One could easily mistake it for a funhouse, but Monokuma knew the house was home to one of the people he loathed the most.

"Anyway I promised lemons, so here they are," Monokuma announced gesturing to a wooden crate behind him marked with the logo and company name **Aperture** **Science** **.**

Monokuma picked up some lemons before handing some to the read while juggling the rest in his hands.

"You know that saying when life gives you lemons you make lemonade."

Suddenly Monokuma began hurling the lemons at the house, which started to instantly burst into flames setting the house on fire.

"You know a great man once said as a counter to that argument. When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade," Monokuma said before shouting as he hurled another lemon, "make life take the lemons back!"

Soon the rest of the amusement park began to catch fire.

"Demand to see life's manager, and make them rue the day life thought to give you lemons. So he made special lemons that could burn your house down. Isn't science fun!"

"Why does everything smell like lemons," Usami asked before she saw her house on fire, "MY HOUSE!"

* * *

Relaxing in her room C.C. didn't hear what was happening in Lelouch's bedroom, but she did overhear some of what had happened outside, so she knew what was likely happening inside Lelouch's bedroom after he and Junko went in there.

C.C. merely smirked, although she was alone she was speaking to someone only she could hear.

"I guess your son isn't a little boy anymore," C.C. mused knowing that would get a rise out of the one he was talking to, "oh please like you were any better with Charles."

The immortal woman calmly listened to the response of the woman he was speaking to.

"I am still positive you will like her Marianne, although she might not look it at first glance, she is just as devious as Lelouch if not more ruthless than him."

C.C. began laughing softly at the response she just heard.

"Well you and Charles did leave him to his own devices, and he had to grow up on his own and survive. All things considered, are you surprised if he found the right woman it was only a matter of time? Besides they knew each other for a good couple years, so it wasn't like they suddenly got horny. It was building for some time," C.C. pointed out.

 _Maybe if Lelouch doesn't live up to_ _expectations,_ _it might not be a bad idea_ _to_ _make a contract with Junko._

* * *

The following morning Lelouch awoke in his bed, although he wasn't sure how much sleep he had gotten because Lelouch didn't know how long he and Junko spent during an evening of intense and passionate lovemaking. His memory of what happened was hazy, but the proof of what happened last night laid intertwined with him and on top of his body with a bed sheet barely covering them. Junko and Lelouch remained joined in the most intimate embrace possible as the former buried her face in Lelouch's neck as his eyes wandered Junko's sleeping form.

 _She looks so peaceful…_

Lelouch didn't feel any regret for what happened last night, and judging from Junko's calm and satisfied expression it was easy to assume neither did she.

He wanted to get up, but Lelouch couldn't bring himself to disturb Junko's slumber leading to him to lightly trace the curves of Junko's body.

Meanwhile, in the living room, C.C. was holding a box of tissue for Mukuro who had been crying upon realizing where her sister had been all night and the fact that Lelouch was still in his bedroom where his sister was told her all she needed. Mukuro had been in tears ever since with C.C. forced to handle damage control.

 _I_ _had a_ _feeling, but I didn't think he had the affection of both sisters,_ C.C. thought.

"Why didn't you attempt to win Lelouch before your sister claimed him? Surely you knew this would happen?"

"I know," Mukuro said accepting another tissue before tossing another one into the growing pile of used tissues, "but I didn't want to upset my sister."

In truth, Mukuro didn't want to incur Junko's wrath if she knew she had an interest in Lelouch, although Mukuro resigned herself to Junko taking Lelouch she never thought she would be upset when their relationship progressed to a more intimate one.

"Did Junko know about your feelings for Lelouch?"

Mukuro shook her head wiping away tears from her eyes.

"I see, so this is really your fault isn't it?"

"I suppose," Mukuro managed between sobs, "but I'll still support my sister and Lelouch in any function I can."

C.C. studied Mukuro and recalling what Junko had proposed she thought that maybe someone should mention it to Junko.

* * *

Later that evening Lelouch, as Zero, met with the Black Knights with Mukuro dressed as Null, although Lelouch didn't notice anything different he couldn't shake the feeling that Mukruo was very quiet, quieter than usual. Pushing that issue aside Lelouch addressed Ohgi and the other founding members of the Black Knights. Their meeting went over the general subjects including budget, recruitment and obtaining new weapons. Oghi had news that a group called Kyoto was wishing to provide them with Knightmare Frames. Following that Lelouch had just told them of his intent to hunt down the assistant to Sayaka Maizono's manager who was named Edward Zolgen, mainly because what became of the member of Sayaka's idol group was now public knowledge.

To Lelouch's surprise, he found most of the Black Knights, especially Tamaki who sometimes opposed him, eager to begin the hunt.

 _I guess Sayaka has a much_ _more significant_ _fanbase than I had even realized._

"Very well," Lelouch said as he turned to Ohgi, "I want all of you checking whatever connections you have that could lead us to the whereabouts of Mr. Zolgen. I suspect he might have some ties to the refrain drug trade so check with anyone who might know anyone involved in that trade."

"We'll tell you the first thing we find something," Kallen said as she was among those eager to go after Zolgen. Kallen might not have been a big fan of Sayaka like some of the others were she did respect what the girl accomplished and wished to be a source of inspiration for others, which seemed to be an honest and straightforward dream.

"Anything for me," Nagito asked.

"Actually there is something I have been wishing to ask you," Lelouch said gesturing for Nagito to follow him upstairs to the room that was used by Zero as an office. Once inside Lelouch showed Nagito to the laptop on the table.

Nagito glanced at the computer screen to see the face of his classmate's younger sister.

"Oh that is Fuyuhiko's little sister," Nagito said recognizing the young woman, which was helped by the fact she was identical to Fuyuhiko.

"By any chance do you know her?"

"I haven't met her, especially since she was in the reserve course."

"I see, so anything from your interactions with Fuyuhiko that could explain her motivations for wishing to join the Black Knights?" Lelouch asked.

"Sorry, although Fuyuhiko and I are classmates he never told me or really anyone in our class about his sister. The only who knew her to my knowledge was Maihru."

Lelouch was a little disappointed, but it was expected. He knew the chances of Nagito being familiar or knowing the younger sister of the next head of Area's infamous yakuza family was slim.

"As I am sure you realize she wishes to join the Black Knights, but I find it out the daughter of the leader of the Kuzuryu Clan wishing to join our organization to be a little odd."

Nagito contemplated it for a moment for concluding what Zero was concerned about.

"Ah, I see so you are wondering if she is joining of her own free will or it could be something that is part of some agenda related to the Kuzuryu Clan."

"Exactly," Zero confirmed, "I had hoped you might've known something about her to use as a reference to use as a means to potentially identify if she has some other ulterior motive for joining the Black Knights. It seems I'll be going into the meeting blind."

"Wouldn't it benefit you if you had an alliance with the Kuzuryu Clan?"

"Yes it would," Lelouch said in agreement and given their status and possible connections they could help further his goals. "They haven't shown any signs of supporting any of the resistance factions, but their power and influence were more than enough to keep the JLF from acting against them."

 _Perhaps_ _they would have the means to track down my current target a lot faster._

"Yet I can't be sure if they would ally with me or treat me as an enemy, but if we refuse her, then I am concerned the Kuzuryu Clan might take it as an insult, which could complicate things for us at a delicate stage the Black Knights are at."

Nagito found little flaws with Zero's reasoning, but at the same time, he recognized that Zero's concerns are reasonable.

 _I wonder if I could be more useful and help Zero gain the information he needs,_ Nagito thought as an idea came to mind.

* * *

Around the same time back at Lelouch's apartment C.C. and Junko were watching a television program together as the former decided to bring a particular matter to Junko's attention. The revelation that Mukuro had a crush on Lelouch, and broke down into tears after learning Lelouch had become intimate with her.

Junko nearly choked on a cookie when C.C. told her.

"My sister has a crush on Lelouch," Junko asked after drinking a soft drink to wash down the cookie she almost choked on, but at the same time, she was trying to keep her composure.

 _How the hell didn't I NOTICE THAT!?_

C.C. nodded her head in response, "yes and your sister was in tears this morning over the advancement of your relationship with Lelouch despite having accepted it."

"Huh, so I guess she did a good job hiding it from me," Junko said although she was surprised to be sure.

 _I suppose I should be glad my idiot sister at least_ _has good taste in_ _boys_ _because I thought she would go for a poster boy for blind_ _optimism_ _and hope._

"Why mention this to me?" Junko asked giving C.C. a suspicious look.

"I thought you seemed intent on building a harem for Lelouch?"

"That's true," Junko admitted, but last night had her almost reconsidering that idea.

 _I ALMOST don't want to share him because he was so amazing, because making women despair over the idea they could never enjoy what I experienced. The best part was that I didn't get bored._

"I was open to the idea especially if he could seduce women with special skills and talents including those with connections who could be useful for the battles ahead," Junko explained. "Afterall I have no desire of just allowing any women to share his bed with me."

"I assume you have been looking at the Ultimate Students at Hope's Peak Academy?"

Junko nodded, "yes I have been, although getting them to join and Lelouch seducing them is a whole other issue. Lelouch won't do that just to gain an advantage. Not to mention he has some trust issues."

"You have a point, so I can't see him willing to open his bed up to anyone but you."

At that instant, a thought came to mind for Junko.

 _He might for Mukuro_ , Junko thought as a smile appeared on her face as she saw an opportunity.

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater:**

Instead of Monokuma, Junko Enoshima was sitting inside her lair, the Monokuma Control room before a monitor and a computer keyboard. The opening credits of a video game began rolling with the title displaying the following text with Monokuma's visage behind it.

 **Danganronpa: Killing Game Simulator (** **Bachelor** **Edition)**

Junko pushed the start button beginning the simulation.

Inside the auditorium of Hope's Peak Academy, the following characters began to appear inside the gymnasium. Sayaka Maizono, Celestia Ludenberg, Kallen Kōzuki, Seiko Kimura, Kirumi Tojo and Tsumugi Shirogane started to materialize in the game. They were followed by the likes of Kotomi Ikuta, Natsumi Kuzuryu, Aiko Umesawa, Mahiru Koizumi, Kiriko Nishizawa, Suzuko Kashiki, and Karen Kisaragi materializing as part of the simulator thanks to all of the information Junko had collected on them.

"Let's do a little testing and find out who among these girls will make a good lover for Lelouch alongside yours truly," Junko mused. She watched Monokuma appear from behind the podium to announce the killing game involving the fourteen women Junko had an eye for Lelouch or thought could make good candidates for a harem. "Maybe depending on how this plays out I might consider doing one for real."

"Uh, where are we?" Sayaka asked clearly frightened, while Junko was pleased with how accurately the simulator created her character thanks to the data she provided.

"Welcome ladies I am your headmaster Monokuma," Monokuma said introducing himself. "We are going to be conducting an extraordinary game, and all of you are going to be stars. This might take awhile, but don't worry we'll include updates and follow-ups to this multi-part mini-series."

"What kind of game," Kotomi demanded.

"Why a Killing Game of course," Monokuma announced happily much to the horror of those gathered, but a few managed to stay calm. "If you want to escape then you got to murder a fellow classmate and survive the class trial without getting caught."

Junko's dark laughter echoed through the control room before looking towards the reader, "Happy Valentine's Day!"

* * *

A/N: seeing that this is Valentine's Day and I am finally concluding the harem poll I thought about a way I could maybe turn it all on its head. I felt like the best way to give you guys something to enjoy until the next Killing Game is to host a mini one based on a simulator Junko is running to determine the best waifu through the best way she knows how.

(You can see the poll results on my profile)

To have a Killing Game of course, and the best waifu who gets away with it or is the last one standing wins. Its obviously not canon to the story, but who knows…it could be a sign of another Killing Game that could happen in the future. Or maybe a warning of what Junko might do to them, so you guys might want to rethink the idea of a harem with Junko involved being a good idea or not.

Now I was really going to try and do a genuine lemon, but two problems arose. One the site I planned on posting it on to avoid trouble with this site's administrators has a waiting list, and I got to wait until next month. And second I am not very comfortable with what I wrote so far so I don't know if I'll post it, but I'll toy with it a little more so I can say that I tried.

But I did at least deliver on the lemons, (after a nervous laugh the author ducks behind a wall to avoid being hit by the combustible lemons.)

Anyway, I am going to go back and edit and clean up the chapters (from 13 to 17) before working on the next chapter to hopefully provide a better reading experience.

I look forward to all of your reviews and feedback.


	19. Chapter 19 Keeping Secrets

A/N: Thank you all who left a review, and added this story to their favorites and follow lists. And a special thanks to The Apocryphal One for her reviews, and also pointing out the issues I had in various chapters, which have been taken care of to allow for what I hope will be a better reading experience, so thank you very much once again.

She has written one of the best Chiaki and Hajime stories I have seen called Extra Life, so if you are interested, I recommend checking it out.

Moving on in, this chapter a lot is going on or being set up for the next chapter. I won't say any more, and I'll save it for the end of the chapter.

I hope you guys like the cover image I put up for this story, not quite what I had in mind but you do what you got to do with what you got.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their mind"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

 **Keeping** **Secrets**

The next day it was an uneventful day for Class 77-B, not counting the usual from the class's more eccentric students, but there was perhaps one oddity worthy of note. Mahiru of all people was asked a highly unusual question about someone from probably the last person she would've expected.

"You want to ask me about Natsumi?"

Nagito nodded his head, "Yes but I understand if it's an unpleasant question."

The Ultimate Lucky Student knew that _unpleasant_ was probably an understatement. Nagito wasn't aware of all the details, other than what was shared around class at the time, which was that Mahiru's best friend Sato had attempted to murder Fuyuhiko's sister in a misguided effort to protect her from Natsumi. Ever since they attended Light Forest Institute during their middle school days, Mahiru and Natsumi clashed against one another. Natsumi had joined the photography club of their middle school where the former became jealous of Mahiru resulting in the latter being the target of harassment coupled with threats.

Natsumi never made good on these threats.

When Mahiru was selected to attend Hope's Peak Academy and ended up in the same class as Natsumi's older brother things between them only got worse. Things just escalated when Sato, Mahiru's best friend since middle school, got between Mahiru and Natsumi. Sato was unable to convince Natsumi to seize her harassment and threats against Mahiru, which only resulted in their clashes escalating into more heated confrontations that could turn violent at any time.

Nagito heard about a classmate who had tried to reason with Natsumi, although he seemed more successful reaching her. Unfortunately, it did little to halt the coming inevitable violent clashes that left Sato with scars on one arm from one such encounter with Natsumi during their time in middle school.

It's odd unless Natsumi wasn't taught to defend herself a fight like that should've ended badly for Sato, Nagito reasoned logically.

He suspected that Natsumi didn't instigate that fight and might've defended herself without seeking to kill Sato. Nagito suspected Natsumi knew that such actions could create some issues for her hindering her chances to be accepted at Hope's Peak Academy, although she likely made use of her family's connections to cause trouble for Mahiru it didn't seem that nothing severe or destructive had happened.

 _Of_ _course,_ _there were Sato's affections for Mahiru_ , Nagito thought.

Another fact Nagito learned was that Sato harbored romantic feelings for Mahiru which to her becoming increasingly determined to protect from Natsumi. That determination, which Nagito assumed, turned into an obsession to protect Mahiru no matter what. Sato probably became increasingly paranoid with Natsumi's threats, although it didn't appear that Natsumi never made good on them.

Thus leading to their last clash that nearly ended with Natsumi's death, but someone happened upon the scene interfering long enough for security to become involved. Natsumi was hospitalized for a conclusion after Sato knocked her out with a flower vase in the music room where the confrontation took place. Nagito learned that Sato had summoned Natsumi to meet with her to talk her out of harassing Mahiru further, but in reality, she was planning to murder Natsumi to protect Mahiru.

 _Such foolishness_ , Nagito contemplated.

Nagito believed that Sato's plan to kill Natsumi would've only resulted in her demise as well because anyone who read a novel or saw a movie with gangsters wouldn't have allowed Sato to get away with her murder. Her family likely believed in an eye for an eye, so once they find out Sato was responsible they would've killed her, or worse Mahiru as well if she was somehow involved. The loss of a talented individual like Mahiru wouldn't be accepted to Nagito.

 _Sato wasn't even_ _a great_ _stepping stone,_ Nagito concluded as he felt the talentless were only meant to serve as stepping stones for those with talent.

However, if Nagito wanted to get the information about Natsumi he knew it would be best if he didn't say that to Mahiru. He knew Fuyuhiko would've been better to ask about his sister, but he was aware of the fact that Fuyuhiko wouldn't share such information willingly, mainly since he avoided discussions about his family. Nagito assumes part of it was because there were things that went on with Fuyuhiko's family that couldn't be talked about; understandable given the Kuzuryu Family is the most feared Yakuza Clan in Area 11.

 _I am sure asking questions about Natsumi out of the blue like this would've made Fuyuhiko suspicious_ , Nagito reasoned internally.

A suspicious Fuyuhiko could become a problem for Zero, which he wanted to avoid. On the other, if Natsumi joined then Nagito, then it would pave the way for Fuyuhiko to side with the Black Knights and by extension the Kuzuryu Family.

 _Natsumi is talentless_ , Nagito thought.

However, she was a talentless person with good connections that made her a more useful stepping stone for Zero.

 _If I am lucky,_ _she_ _could be a useful catalyst for Fuyuhiko and the rest of his family becoming allies of Zero_ , Nagito thought feeling hopeful.

Of course, that was the best outcome he could hope for.

"What's there to say she was a spoiled and terrible person who didn't think twice about using her family influence to make life hell for everyone who crossed her," Mahiru answered bluntly.

"I see," Nagito said before pointing out, "her relationship with Fuyuhiko was quite different."

"So I have heard," Mahiru noted, but she wasn't aware of too many details of it.

Conversely, Mahiru was thankful that Fuyuhiko was more reasonable than his sister, which was helpful because after the incident Fuyuhiko had informed her that his father was having Natsumi pulled out of the Reserve Course. Fuyuhiko revealed that despite Natsumi was nearly a victim of a murder the fact remained that Hope's Peak Academy was aware of Natsumi using her family's connection to harass one of their Ultimate Students indirectly instigating the incident. The fact Fuyuhiko's father told them Hope's Peak was using their relationships with the local government and the Britannian Homeland to put some pressure on the Kuzuryu Family as a warning.

" _My crazy sister was deemed too much of a loose_ _cannon,_ _so_ _my dad pulled her out before putting her under house arrest. It was to avoid destroying the relationships our family needs to survive,"_ Fuyuhiko explained previously to Mahiru roughly a year ago when they spoke after Sato was executed.

Fuyuhiko explained to Mahiru that the Kuzuryu Family has connections with not only persuasive Britannian Crime Families, but has ties with those in the highest positions of the Britannian Government. These ties have been critical for the survival of their legitimate and illegal businesses and by extension their family. The personality traits the leaders of the family once admired about Natsumi were seen as a liability who lacked restraint when it was called for. Fuyuhiko parents weren't accurately picture perfect for restraining themselves giving the violent clashes they have, Fuyuhiko admitted before adding that for the sake of the family one must know when to stand down.

Mahiru wondered what kind of pressure was put on the Kuzuryu Family to have caused such a response given what Fuyuhiko told her.

"I don't know the full details other than they are close like siblings," Mahiru replied before telling Nagito about what happened to Natsumi after Sato was executed for attempting to murder her.

"I see," Nagito answered, "I guess that's it for my questions. Thanks, Mahiru."

Mahiru watched Nagito get up before leaving the classroom for presumably the rest of the day since it was late afternoon. Usually, Mahiru didn't like talking about Natsumi because events surrounding her led to Sato death. Even through Mahiru never wanted Natsumi murdered, also if it was for her sake and Sato's own actions led to her being executed when her attempt failed.

However, because Nagito of all people was asking and given how condescending he was to those without talent, it seemed very unusual.

 _It's over a year since it happened so why is he asking now_ , Mahiru wondered.

Mahiru began recalling that recently Nagito has been acting stranger than usual. He was an oddball already, especially given how eccentric most of her class was because he has been sleeping in class when he was typically more active with them. Adding to it was the fact Nagito has been leaving the classroom as soon as possible, which only added to Mahiru's concerns.

The sudden questions about Natsumi were enough to convince her that something was amiss with Nagito.

Rising from her seat, Mahiru caught Fuyuhiko as he was about to leave with Peko.

"Hey, Fuyuhiko you got a second?"

"What is," Fuyuhiko asked.

"This might sound a little weird, but I thought you should know," Mahiru explained. "I just had Nagito ask me questions about Natsumi, is there something going?"

"Nagito was asking you about my sister," Fuyuhiko said, although he disliked it when people asked him or even poke their nose in his personal matters his expression indicated confusion and curiosity instead of anger.

Mahiru was thankful that besides her, Fuyuhiko and Peko were the only other members of their class who were more level-headed than the rest of their eccentric classmates besides perhaps Chiaki.

"I know it's weird, especially it was Nagito asking about something that happened a year ago."

"Yeah that does sound strange even for Nagito," Fuyuhiko said in agreement.

"Ever since the Sports Festival Nagito has been acting weirder than normal, from sleeping in class and leaving as soon as he could," Mahiru said, which Fuyuhiko had also noticed.

Fuyuhiko wasn't the most sociable member of their class, but he wasn't unaware of what was happening around him. He found Nagito too much of an oddball to really want to converse with, but like Mahiru, he had noticed what seemed to be a sudden change. He was usually the most active participant in their class regardless of what events transpired, although his talks about and mentioning hope did annoy more than a few people. He still took part in their class, but his sleeping in class coupled with leaving as soon as possible was more than enough to indicate that something was amiss.

Now questions about his own sister were enough of a concern for the Ultimate Yakuza to investigate the matter.

"Maybe we should follow up on it, and find out what Nagito is up to," Fuyuhiko said deciding that they needed to see what their classmate was doing.

* * *

Around the same time, Lelouch was walking down the hall by himself moments before he heard Makoto call out to him.

"Hey Lelouch," Makoto said approaching Lelouch from behind.

Lelouch turned around to address his fellow classmate, "Makoto, can I help you with something."

"Yeah, Sayaka hasn't been in class today," Makoto said with obvious concern on his face. "You haven't heard anything by any chance because you told our teacher that Sayaka contacted you this morning?"

"I checked in with her a little while ago after she called me," Lelouch explained while recalling that before arriving at the hospital that Nunnally had given Sayaka his cell phone number. "She was badly shaken from finding out what her friends had endured."

"I can imagine," Makoto commented, "but you knew about it right?"

"Yes, because we ran into each other yesterday," Lelouch answered before proceeding to tell Makoto of what happened.

He explained to Makoto how he, Junko, and his sister Nunnally met Sayaka at the Grand Opening of the Clovisland Pool. Before leaving Sayaka had offered to take Nunnally to meet her friends because Lelouch's sister was a big fan of their group. Sayaka intended it as a means of repaying Lelouch for his intervention against Sayaka's manager before they began attending school. Milly and his maid, Sayoko, offered to go with Nunnally turning it into a girl's night out.

Junko and Lelouch were spending the evening hanging out until they got the phone call from Sayoko informing them that Sayaka's idol group members were hospitalized.

As they talked, the two had walked past the main school building locked in conversation.

"They were in bad shape, and if I had to wager, I think they must've been during it for months. It's based on the fact they had been rendered invalid by Refrain, and that only happens after months of usage," Lelouch explained to Makoto who was nothing short of horrified.

It was one thing to learn about it on the news, but to hear it from someone who saw them and a grieving Sayaka had more of an impact and weight to it. Like Lelouch before him, Makoto wondered if Refrain was used to make them more compliant or as a means of coping with the abuse, or both.

Makoto didn't know what he could say, but he could only imagine what Sayaka was going through.

"Do you think Sayaka will be alright? Considering how you saw her last?"

Lelouch contemplated his answer before replying, "To answer that probably not. Sayaka will recover, but this incident will leave its mark on her for a very long time. Of course, that is not even considering the fact her friends are facing twenty years in prison. So far it hasn't affected her career thanks to her fans showing sympathy and support, but given the toxic nature of the Entertainment Industry of Area 11, she'll be at risk of potentially ending up like her friends. Something Sayaka likely fears right now, but I doubt she would give up a career she and her friends have sacrificed so much for even if her friends were the ones to suffer the most horrific sacrifices."

Makoto was speechless, but yet he couldn't understand how anyone would continue to stay in an industry where could end up working in a brothel house if you were a woman and Japanese, although Makoto feared it was probably a lot worse than what he assumed.

"And the guy who put them through that was just allowed to WALK!"

Lelouch paused for a moment and took a deep breath, "I am afraid so."

Disbelief mixed with anger filled Makoto's features, but Lelouch heard something he didn't expect.

"I hope the Black Knights get him."

Carefully considering his response Lelouch answered, "So do I."

"I know the police were corrupt, but this is just worse when watching them ignore a guy being mugged by Britannian gangsters in front of their cruiser."

"Let me guess the man being mugged was Japanese," Lelouch asked which Makoto confirmed with a nod. "Well the Black Knights saved some friends of mine who were among the hostages, so maybe with time, they'll get the man who put Sayaka's friends through that hell. It's just a matter of tracking him down I suppose."

Makoto was relieved to hear that Lelouch didn't mind him being a fan of the Black Knights nor hoping for the fact that he was wishing they would get the man responsible for putting Sayaka's friends through a horrible ordeal.

"Makoto," Lelouch began, "by some chance did someone give you the third degree about the Black Knights?"

"How did you know?"

"Call it a lucky guess, but Suzaku and I had a disagreement on the subject earlier while studying in the library."

* * *

Earlier that morning a tired Lelouch was struggling to stay awake, but in hindsight, he realized the library wasn't the best place to go to study. Lelouch wondered if someplace a little noisier like the music room might've been more helpful for him to stay awake.

Suzaku was with him, and the two began talking about the Black Knights especially when Lelouch inquired to events surrounding the Hotel Takeover not too long ago wondering if he was involved in that. Suzaku confirmed that he was after Lelouch revealed he had to return home to calm Nunnally who began panicking upon discovering her friends Shirley, Nina, and Milly were among the hostages.

Their conversation was friendly enough, but near its end.

"Well, I am just grateful the Black Knights managed to save them. I don't want to think how I could've calmed Nunnally down if something had happened to them."

Suzaku was quiet for a moment before closing a book he was reading as the two sat at the same table together. "If they wanted to catch criminals, they could've joined the police force. Why don't they, I wonder?"

"They probably don't think the cops are up to the job. I tend to agree," Lelouch replied without hesitation, but of course, there was the fact the police was corrupt too.

"The police may not be that effective right now, but they could invoke change from within."

"Yeah, and in the process, they get all tangled up in red tape and bureaucracy."

"If they had done everything in their power to change things that might hold water. As long as they don't, then all of its just self-righteous posturings," Suzaku said arguing back to Lelouch's slight surprise and confusion.

"Self-righteous?"

"And what constitutes evil in their eyes? What standards are they using? It's nothing but self-satisfying gratification."

Lelouch's eye began twitching in annoyance.

"At least they don't let criminals walk if they pay off the right people. You heard about what happened to Sayaka's friends' right?"

"You mean the members of Sweet Orchid?"

Lelouch nodded before continuing, "Did you know the police had more than enough evidence on the guy for an arrest and a conviction before he was let go and the case was dismissed?"

"What," Suzaku exclaimed, which didn't surprise Lelouch because he noticed during the morning news that information about the involvement of the assistant to Sayaka's manager was conveniently omitted. The death of Sayaka's manager, Mr. Sinclair was announced having been found at the scene.

"I am not surprised," Lelouch said, "because they didn't mention it this morning. According to the chief of security here the police had evidence that's the assistant to Sayaka's manager was the one who press-ganged Sayaka's friends into the twisted depravity they were forced to endure."

Suzaku was caught off guard by that revelation.

* * *

"So what did Suzaku say?"

Lelouch sighed, "Suzaku had little to offer as a counter-argument. I told him what I had learned from the chief of security and Sayaka herself."

Makoto was angry, but at the same time, he wasn't surprised.

Much like Lelouch, he couldn't understand how there was any chance of changing the country of Britannia from within because Makoto had seen glimpses of how corrupt it was. Makoto suspected if the police were corrupt then he couldn't even begin to imagine how bad it was in the military and the government.

His anger diminished into annoyance when he remembered his argument against the Ultimate Moral Compass.

"I think Kiyotaka is too inflexible, or that's the impression I get when talking to him," Makoto commented.

"Is it because of how he tries to force his own values onto others?" Lelouch asked although he suspected this to be the case.

"Yeah, which probably why he is always shouting like those drill sergeants you see in those movies."

"I think the issue is that he is so fixated on becoming an ideal student that he hasn't developed proper social skills. Maybe the friendship he has started with Suzaku might help him," Lelouch said as he had noticed Suzaku and Kiyotaka having become close friends since they began attending Hope's Peak Academy together.

"You mean that maybe Kiyotaka shouldn't be yelling to get his point across all the time," Makoto asked with an amused smile seeing a chance to lighten the mood a little.

Lelouch smirked at the humor, "yes maybe that alone could be more helpful for him."

"So where are you going, Lelouch?"

"I was looking for Kyoko."

"Kyoko," Makoto asked, "why are you looking for her?"

"I was hoping she could help me with an issue I am facing."

* * *

It happened sometime after Lelouch and Suzaku parted ways in the library after their argument. Lelouch was hesitant to ask another favor from Seiko, but after some internal debate, he decided to ask her if she would be interested in helping Sayaka's friends. However, Lelouch wondered if it might be better to leave them as they were for now. It wasn't to be cruel by any means, but Lelouch was deeply concerned about their mental state once they recovered. He feared the psychological damage would be a lot worse than Lelouch could expect which might drive them to suicide or be mentally unsound from the trauma.

 _I'll ask Seiko first,_ _and_ _if needed I'll ask someone for a second opinion, but that depends if she can cure Sayaka's friends of Refrain's_ _adverse_ _side effects._

Lelouch felt confident that Seiko had the skills needed to perform such a task, but it was merely a question of how long she would need.

 _My only lingering concern is what will happen to Sayaka's friends because I doubt the trauma they suffered on top of the fact they'll likely be spending twenty years in prison will not go over well for them,_ Lelouch thought. Lelouch feared whatever mental breakdown that might occur could affect Sayaka, which a part of him felt that she had been through enough.

For Lelouch, it seemed that every choice before him in this matter didn't lead to a better outcome.

Lelouch reached the chemistry lab, but upon entirely he was stopped by Sonosuke who had managed to get behind him holding a kunai to his neck.

"Who the hell are you?" Sonosuke demanded to a surprised Lelouch, who wasn't expecting to be greeted like this upon entering the chemistry lab.

"He's one of the first year students, Lelouch Lamperouge; I have been making some helpful remedies for him," Seiko answered timidly as she had been in the middle of a conversation with Ruruka, who was standing in front of her with a chemistry lad set behind Seiko.

"Oh so a customer then," Ruruka said before gesturing for Sonosuke to release him.

"Your friend seems to be rather paranoid," Lelouch commented after Sonosuke released him.

Sonosuke silently rejoined his girlfriend before Ruruka explained, "oh don't worry he is more worried about me than anything else. I do apologize he does tend to go overboard sometimes."

With a smile, Ruruka offered a delicious pasty to her boyfriend who happily accepted it before consuming it.

"Anyway we were just finishing up here, so thanks, Seiko," Ruruka said happily before holding out a bottle filled with a green glowing liquid labeled Regenerator. "Come on honey!"

Ruruka cheerfully departed with Sonosuke following in tow leaving a depressed Seiko.

Once the two were gone Lelouch approached the depressed young woman with a look of concern on his face because it was apparent that whatever Ruruka was given it was evident that Seiko didn't give it willingly.

"I know this might not be a good time to ask, but are you alright?"

Seiko was silent for a moment before she shook her head followed by tears coming from her eyes. Lelouch was surprised and concerned when Seiko seemingly broke down crying in front of him, and without explicitly thinking about it Seiko placed her hands on Lelouch's shoulders as her head was hung down in sadness and frustration.

"No," Seiko answered in-between sobs. "Ruruka always asks for favors at the worst time, and now I have nothing to present for the exams the day in four days."

Lelouch was concerned for Seiko, so he decided to ask, "Has this been going on for a long time?"

"She is always asking for favors since we were children," Seiko admitted tearfully, but the years of pent-up frustration began to show as well. "I couldn't eat her sweets because I was allergic to them because when I ate one, I nearly died and spent a week at the hospital."

"So as a means to compensate for being unable to eat the sweets Ruruka made you tried to help her in whatever way you could," Lelouch said seeing where it all began. "I don't understand why trying to eat one of her candies is so important? Did you know you were allergic?"

"Yes, but I tried anyway because Ruruka doesn't trust anyone who doesn't eat her sweets."

Lelouch was suspicious, primarily since he was wondering why Ruruka wanted one of Seiko's concoctions.

"What kind of talent does she have?"

"She is the Ultimate Confectioner, and she has been using some of my creations to improve her own sweets," Seiko answered causing Lelouch to feel even more concerned. "Her boyfriend is the Ultimate Blacksmith by the way if you were wondering."

Seiko began to finally calm down, but Lelouch felt this was something he should intervene partly because someone making sweets and spiking them with some Seiko's creations couldn't be right.

 _Maybe this can be my way of repaying Seiko,_ Lelouch thought.

"Anyway did you need something Lelouch," Seiko asked, but she jumped away shyly when she realized she was not only very close to him Seiko was holding onto his shoulders tightly. Seiko's face turned into a cute shade of pink as a result of embarrassment.

Lelouch decided against commenting because it was probably best for Seiko to vent anyway.

"I hate having to ask something of you again, especially given what just happened. You heard about what happened to one of my classmates, Sayaka Maizono's group right?"

Seiko nodded.

"One of the conditions they are suffering from is a result of the drug refrain, which I think it was something they used or was forced upon them to make them more compliant or both."

It didn't take long to realize what Lelouch had come to her about, "I see so you want to know if I could help cure the after-effects of refrain's usage that renders a victim invalid?"

"Yes, but I am not sure if it would be a good idea since they would remember all of the horrible things done to them." Lelouch admitted with concern before adding, "but they are going to be spending twenty years in prison, and I doubt they'll wait for them to recover. I am worried they might be taken advantage of while in prison if they remain like that."

"I see," Seiko said before entering a state of deep thought.

"I am sorry to be asking for you something like this given your troubles with Ruruka?"

"No," Seiko replied quickly, "unlike her request you want to help your friend."

"I do, but with your exam coming up I worry this might be a problem for you," Lelouch offered out of consideration. "Unless I think we could solve two problems that could help both of you."

"So Seiko agreed to help," Makoto asked.

"Yes and I am hoping the judges will accept it as a proper exam, but in the meantime, I am looking how I could maybe put a stop to Ruruka taking advantage of Seiko like that."

Makoto realized what Lelouch wanted to ask Kyoko for, "I get it you want Kyoko to investigate Ruruka?"

"That's right," Lelouch replied, "since the fact she is using Seiko's concoctions in her candy is something I find concerning."

"I know," Makoto said as he recalled seeing what Seiko's concoction had done for Lelouch on the track field a while back. "I hope this works out for both Sayaka and Seiko."

"So do I," Lelouch said before a thought crossed his mind.

 _I'll make sure of it._

* * *

Meanwhile, inside their shared apartment, Junko had chosen this time to confront her sister about her feelings for Lelouch. Unsurprisingly Mukuro tried to deny it of course, as the hardened soldier began crumbling under Junko's verbal assault.

"Maybe you shouldn't been sobbing in front of C.C," Junko scolded, but at the same time, she had cursed under breath that she had missed out on her own older sister being in such despair. "She told me just recently after you confessed you like Lelouch?"

"I," Mukuro struggled to say, but she was in too much shock to offer much of a counter-argument.

"Come on you knew where things were going idiot, so what happened between Lelouch and me was bound to happen. I got to experience him in ways you'll never get to know," Junko remarked cruelly while savoring her sister's despair.

Mukuro became silent, but Junko didn't stop her verbal abuse of her sister.

"You should've been more aggressive about it, but I suppose I should thank you for being considered for your little sister," Junko said before laughing.

Suddenly, without warning, Junko felt a hand seize her neck. Within seconds she was slammed against the wall as Junko's eyes went wide in shock as a furious Mukuro was now holding her against the wall by her neck. Junko's feet were dangling a few inches off the ground, but the look of utter shock was etched upon Junko Enoshima's face.

"I love him!" Mukuro snapped, although she was surprised by her own actions. Pure anger was driving her current movements, which were fueled by the years of constant abuse she had suffered at Junko's hands.

"Ok," Junko said struggling against Mukuro's iron grip, "let's calm down. I shouldn't have done that. In fact, I should compliment you on your choice. I was always worried you might fall for some poster boy of blind optimism and hope."

Junko felt Mukuro's grip beginning to tighten as the look within Mukuro's eyes was one of pure anger.

"Hold on Mukuro," Junko began but was left coughing for a moment, "do you think Lelouch will be ok with you killing me?"

"He might not be, but I know you'll kill him for despair at some point," Mukuro warned as her free hand drew a knife from its holster on Mukuro's belt.

"Would it shock you to hear that I have no desire to kill Lelouch," Junko said trying to placate her older sister. "Sure I would get some good despair out of it, but in the long term everything would be so boring because all of my plans will likely work out flawlessly without someone as chaotic and dangerous like him to keep things interesting."

"That could always change," Mukuro replied coldly.

"I won't argue that, but I am willing to make a deal with you. If you continue to help me and not kill me," Junko asked because she had no much at stake, although the despair from it all coming apart with her death was tempting she knew the resulting despair from the upcoming killing game would be far sweeter. "I'll work on convincing Lelouch to take you as a lover alongside me, and I'll even allow you to have him one on one with him."

Mukuro's cheeks turned a healthy shade of pink at the offer, although a part of her wanted Lelouch to love her and more. On the other hand, another part knew that Lelouch would never accept the idea of sleeping with another woman beside the one he had as a lover. Of course, there was the danger that Junko represented.

"We know convincing Lelouch to take a second lover will be impossible."

"True," Junko said in agreement, "but unlike the other women who might have an eye for him, you know about him being Zero and what he wants to do. You are his bodyguard for crying out loud on top of that. He won't be open to the idea tomorrow, but I am willing to work towards an arrangement that will benefit both of us. You'll have my word I won't kill Lelouch, because then what's to stop you from killing me?"

Mukuro quietly contemplated the offer, but after a few minutes, a reluctant Mukuro released her sister letting her drop to the ground.

Nothing further was said, but the look in Mukuro's eyes was enough to convey an unspoken message.

 _I'll kill you if you_ _murder_ _Lelouch._

Another reason that stayed Mukuro's hand from killing her sister was that to explain and justify her actions would mean revealing Junko as being the real leader behind Ultimate Despair and Monokuma which would also expose her own involvement. Mukuro feared the revelation would destroy any chance for a loving relationship with Lelouch, but if Junko attempted to kill Lelouch and Mukuro could save him then maybe it could provide an opportunity.

It was not something she wanted to actually contemplate, but Mukuro loved Lelouch dearly. A fact that had become apparent to her in recent days, although Lelouch was oblivious to the fact that Mukuro was in love with him because of their interactions and working together in the Black Knights.

"Heh this is such despair," Junko mused with a smile. "I never thought you would turn on me like this because of Lelouch. You must love him a lot to be willing to kill me for his sake."

Junko began laughing relishing the despair of the change her older sister from a doormat she could abuse becoming someone who was willing to kill her over Lelouch.

 _Of course, I just love Lelouch even more now for having indirectly caused this turn of events,_ Junko thought with a sly smile.

* * *

Two days later as the sun was setting below the horizon, Nagito was making his way to the Toyko Harbor where the Black Knights would be using one of the warehouses for recruitment. Zero had been annoyed when he had gathered information about Natsumi, fearing Nagito wasn't discreet enough, but he appreciated, and so he intended to meet Natsumi tonight in one of the warehouses on the harbor with Null by his side.

Given her status as the daughter of the head of the Kuzuryu Family, it was best if her recruitment interview was conducted separately while Ohgi and the rest would handle the other hopeful applicants. Or those Zero had deemed fit of joining the Black Knights after studying each applicant as carefully as possible to find those suitable or not spies.

 _Tonight should be interesting_ , Nagito thought with a smile.

Unknown to Nagito as he was walking down an alleyway Fuyuhiko and Peko were following close behind, but at a safe distance. Not only did the pair want Nagito to remain unaware of them, but they were concerned about becoming victims of his luck. Fuyuhiko and Peko weren't the superstitious types, but seeing the effects of Nagito's "luck" was more than enough to convince them to excise caution.

The one incident that convinced the two of how perilous Nagito's unique talent could be if they weren't careful was an incident involving one of their fellow classmates. Kazuichi was continually suffering from Nagito's luck, and the time he had suffered the most from the latter's talent was during Miss Yukizome's first day as their teacher. Miss Yukizome was determined to bring their class together after finding most of the students woefully absent in developing their talents, so she quite literally, with everyone else in tow, began hunting down and rounding up the class.

When they went off campus to find Nagito, the unfortunate Kazuichi was suddenly hit by a truck that had lost its right front tire before crashing into a guardrail, that Kazuichi had been sitting on, before the resulting impact send both into the air. It was an accident that should that defied logic because Fuyuhiko was sure that some of the laws of physic were broken.

This even made it more perplexing when the truck landed on top of a soda machine, radiator first, where Nagito was having trouble with a soda machine. Nagito received free soda because of the accident while Kazuichi miraculously avoided any serious injuries despite requiring first aid.

This was one reason why Fuyuhiko didn't attempt to ask Kazuichi for help by crafting them a way to follow Nagito at a much safer distance because the pair were worried that Nagito's luck would render whatever aid Kazuichi could offer useless or they would end up injured somehow. Fuyuhiko had considered asking Gundham for a hand asking if he had an animal that could help them follow Nagito, but he deemed the eccentric breeder too much of a liability given how _loud_ he tended to be.

"So far so good," Fuyuhiko said cautiously, not wishing to jinx himself or Peko.

"I can't imagine any reason he would come here," Peko commented.

"Neither can I, especially this is a popular place where a lot of shady deals take place. So far I do not like where this is going," Fuyuhiko answered knowing the docks were a typical location for a lot of black market trading, drug dealers and others to trade and sell illegal items and more.

The two continued to shadow an unsuspecting Nagito as the latter reached the warehouse where Zero and Null would meet with Natsumi, having been granted permission to observe the meeting. Nagito was a little curious about Fuyuhiko's sister despite being a talentless person.

Nagito entered through a side entrance where he walked passed some shipping containers being stored in the warehouse the interview was taking place at. Near the heart of the mostly deserted warehouse was a wooden table with two chairs, one sat opposite of the other with the table in the middle.

Natsumi, wearing a white dress shirt with a black tie decorated with a yellow printed dragon on it. She wore a black skirt with matching black knee-high boots. Occupying the chair across from her was Zero who sat in front of the table with both hands held together.

 _She looks taller than Fuyuhiko_ , Nagito mused as he silently observed the meeting.

Standing behind Lelouch was Mukuro with both hands behind her back.

"I am curious about your motivations in joining my organization," Lelouch as Zero inquired.

 _I guess I missed the start, but luckily I just missed introductions it seems_ , Nagito thought.

"I can imagine given I am the daughter of the current head of the Kuzuryu Family."

"Yes that is one reason," Lelouch admitted. "Are the rest of your family aware of this if you don't mind me asking."

"Actually they aren't," Natsumi answered.

"I see," Zero replied, but Lelouch was intrigued.

Around the same time, Peko and Fuyuhiko approached the warehouse before entering through the rear entrance. They quietly opened the door before slipping inside, although Fuyuhiko had to pick the lock to get inside. The lock wasn't too difficult to unlock since he brought his lock pick kit along as a precaution along with a loaded pistol and extra magazines. The group kept to the walls of the warehouse, but the two heard voices before discovering a ladder leading up to a series of catwalks that ran above the stored shipping containers.

Peko and Fuyuhiko carefully ascended the ladder until both were on top of the catwalk that was interconnected with other bridges and platforms that ran along the rafters of the warehouse. They didn't see anyone else around, but the duo moved as quietly as possible Fuyuhiko and Peko moved closer to the sound of talking they were hearing.

Once they were in a position that allowed them a bird's eye view of the warehouse's center they saw Natsumi speaking to Zero.

Fuyuhiko's jaw went slack while Peko spotted Nagito off to the side of the person who they judged to be Zero's bodyguard. Using a hand gesture to point out where Nagito was the truth behind Nagito questioning Natsumi was apparent.

 _Is my sister trying to join the Black Knights?_ Fuyuhiko wondered, but his thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash towards the front of the warehouse.

Lelouch rose from his seat alongside Natsumi who stepped back from the chair after she stood up to observe the group of armed men who had just blown apart the warehouse doors. Mukuro was already drawing a pistol along with a combat knife as she assumed a combat stance but quickly gestured for Lelouch to take cover.

"Miss Kuzuryu, we should take cover before they begin shooting," Lelouch asked calmly while drawing his own handgun he kept on his person.

"No need to be formal with me," Natsumi answered back before pulling out a revolver hidden in her boot.

"Well, now we got Zero along with the Kuzuryu bitch. This is our lucky night," the leader of the attackers declared.

Much like the rest of his associates, he wore a black suit with a red tie, but while the personal appearances varied their leader had red hair that was cut short with glasses and signs of growing facial hair on his face. The leader of the attackers was a middle-aged man with green eyes and a well-built body.

"The bounty on Zero's head will bring in a lot of money for the boss while the daughter of Kuzuryu Clan's leader will fetch a good price unless her dad does what we say."

"Shit," Natsumi said recognizing who these men were, "these guys are members of the Britannian Mafia."

 _I am not sure what exactly is_ _happening_ _, but I suspect Cornelia's appointment as Viceroy coupled with the restricting of the government probably had a hand in events leading to this._ Lelouch thought as he and Natsumi took cover behind a shipping container alongside Nagito while Mukuro began her attack firing several bullets at the attacking gangsters.

Mukuro and Lelouch counted at least twenty armed men, most of them were armed with military assault rifles and probably carried a pistol as a secondary weapon.

 _Ohgi and the others probably heard that explosion, so unless they are under_ _attack,_ _they should be mobilizing to assist._

If that was the case, then Lelouch could expect help within the next five minutes, but if they were occupied it would take longer. Judging from comments made by the man leading the attack it was likely Ohgi and the others were not under assault.

The armed mafia members began firing, but moving with an agility that seemed superhuman Mukuro was dodging the bullets of the mafia with ease. As she dashed from cargo container to another container, she fired off a round killing an armed mafia member with a single shot to the head. As Mukuro focused on dealing with the men by the entrance the back door was broken down, which Lelouch deduced was the sound they had just heard from the rear.

It wasn't long before Lelouch saw more armed men come into view as they were making their way to him, Natsumi and Nagito.

However, Peko leaped down, with her katana ready, before slashing open the throat of the unfortunate fool to be below her when she jumped. Before the slain gangster's allies could gun her down in retaliation, Peko retreated around the corner of a shipping container followed by Fuyuhiko shooting them from above. Natsumi was surprised to see her brother and Peko, but she pushed the thought aside to focus on killing the people trying to kidnap her and capture Zero. A sentiment Lelouch shared upon seeing the two, but he too focused on the most pressing issue before them.

Thanks to Mukuro teaching him how to handle a firearm before he was dragged into the First Killing Game, Lelouch was able to hit a decent number of enemies. Most of Lelouch's shots were usually a headshot or hit them near a vital spot that left his target open to for him to finish them off or either Peko or Natsumi would claim the kill.

Using a smoke grenade Mukuro blanketed an area of the warehouse's interior in smoke, but her mask possessed built-in inferred vision and flitters to handle the smoke covering the room so it wouldn't impede her. The armed mafia members had not come prepared to deal with a soldier of Mukuro's caliber because thanks to the covered provided by the smoke bomb Mukuro was moving through the smoke slashing open the throats of those unfortunate enough to be in her path.

By the time the smoke began to clear at least fifteen out of the twenty men storming the front were on the ground dead, but five remained along with their leader.

Not even giving them a chance to focus their efforts on her, Mukuro plunged her knife into the throat of the nearest gangster before using his body as a human shield to soak up the bullets fired at her. Once she was near enough to the remaining gangsters she threw the body with all of her might into the group of five before using her pistol to shoot the remaining members. However when she was down to two she ran out of bullets, so tossing the gun aside, Mukuro rushed in and delivered a bone breaking roundhouse kick that sent blood and teeth flying as the blow shattered the man's jaw.

Then before the armed gangster, she had just killed with a mighty blow to his head, Mukuro seized the leader and punched him in the face hard enough to knock him out. Mukuro decided to spare him so Lelouch could interrogate him later.

Outside the warehouse, the sound of Kallen's new Knightmare Frame could be heard as the red Glasgow arrived outside and began attacking the mafia's vehicles and anyone unfortunate enough to be in the line of fire. She was soon followed by Ohgi and the others who started laying down some suppressive fire before starting the mop-up of the enemy.

Meanwhile, Peko was proving why she was called the Ultimate Swordswoman, although her enemies were armed with guns they could not aim and shoot fast enough to land a blow. By the time the bullet left the chamber of their weapons, Peko was already moving to another location evading the shots fired at her. This was furthered help by the cover fire provided by Fuyuhiko, Lelouch, and Natsumi giving the enemy a choice to die by Peko's blade or the bullets of the others. Even though the fight happened within the span of what seemed to be minutes the floor of the warehouse was gradually covered in blood with corpses upon it.

Most of them died by a blade while others by a bullet with the occasional limb lying around because of Peko.

Thanks to Kallen and the other members of the Black Knights mopping up any lingering enemies outside the rest of the mafia was wiped out with their unconscious leader surviving. Mukuro hauled the unconscious man out before Lelouch followed by Natsumi, Nagito, Peko, and Fuyuhiko exited the warehouse once the last of the enemies were dealt with.

"Natsumi, what the hell were you thinking going out alone to join the Black Knights!?" Fuyuhiko snapped at his younger sister once the dust began to settle.

Natsumi seemed hesitant to answer, but Lelouch intervened.

"May I suggest we reconvene at a safer location before the police arrive," Lelouch offered. "Kallen I want you to torch the place to cover our tracks, and the rest of you I'll explain what happened once we relocate to a safer location for that kind of discussion."

Zero and the rest of the Black Knights with Peko, Natsumi, and Fuyuhiko in tow departed the area, despite Ohgi and the others wanting to know what had happened that brought in a large group of armed gangsters. Unfortunately for them, their answers had to wait, but Kallen wasted no time using her Knightmare Frame and its weapons to set the warehouse ablaze, which she accomplished after shoving in the vehicles belonging to the mafia into the warehouse to use as a makeshift explosive ordinance.

Or at least the vehicles that had not been destroyed in their counterattack, but with Mukuro's assistance the warehouse was put to the torch, and the Black Knights quickly left the area. On a more positive note, the group was being followed by their new members whom Ohgi and the others accepted into their ranks.

* * *

In another corner of Area 11, it was after-hours within the Viceroy's Palace. Guilford was joining General Dalton for what he believed would be a friendly evening of casual drinking with a friend after the latter said he had gotten his hands on some good alcohol. Given how busy they had been as of late Guilford gladly accepted the invitation meeting Dalton in his office in the administrative wing. Everyone else had gone home for the evening leaving the two comrades in arms alone in Dalton's office.

Unfortunately, their quiet night of sharing a drink together wasn't entirely devoid of business.

"A knight for Princess Euphemia?" Guildford asked before raising his glass to his lips to drink some of the amber liquid.

"Yes," Dalton answered as he refilled his glass. He continued to speak as amber liquid poured into his glass from a vintage whiskey bottle. "Given recent events, especially with what happened at the hotel, I believe Princess Euphemia should appoint a knight. She has secret agents and armed security personnel protecting her, but if she appoints a knight, then we could build a royal guard to go on top of that."

Guilford entered a state of deep thought, although he agreed with the idea he wondered why Dalton would bring it up.

Every member of the Royal Family has the right to appoint a protector to serve as their bodyguard, from which they could build a royal guard consisting of soldiers who served the royal family member and their knight exclusively to protect them. There weren't any restrictions on who could be appointed as a knight, but obliviously a highly skilled soldier was typically chosen. Regardless a member of the royal family reserved the right to chose with no else, not even the Emperor, could sway it.

"Have you suggested this to her highness?"

"Not yet," Dalton answered before taking a sip from his glass, "Actually I was hoping you could make the suggestion."

"Me," Guildford asked seemingly surprised.

"I don't wish to be misunderstood that I am trying to suggest one of my sons for the position. We both know they aren't the type who would that, but I am concerned my intentions will be misinterpreted," Dalton explained.

"I see," Guildford said before using one hand to adjust his glasses upon realizing Dalton intentions and why he had called him here in private.

No one close to Cornelia, who knew her well enough, would know she wasn't the type to play favorites. Euphemia wasn't like that either and the chances of her choosing one of Dalton's sons as her Knight was slim even though they had grown up under their adopted father becoming worthy knights in their own right. However, everyone might not see it that way and would assume Dalton was taking advantage of his position as Cornelia's right-hand man to press her younger sister into choosing one of his sons to be her knight.

Even if Euphemia didn't pick one of Dalton's sons the fact that he suggested she appoint a knight would cause some to believe that if Cornelia's subordinates could take advantage like that, it could cause people to lose faith in the chain of command and effect overall moral.

The damage to the reputations of Cornelia and Euphemia could be worse and have a more damaging impact on their efforts to stabilize Area 11.

Guilford realized it was a situation Dalton wanted to avoid even if he had more of Euphemia's best interests at heart than his own.

"You tricked me, General Dalton," Guildford said with an amused smiled, "you lured me here with good whiskey, and now I go back to a challenge."

Dalton smiled in turn because he knew Guildford was joking, but likewise, his younger colleague was impressed by his thoughtfulness and perception.

"Can you do it?" Dalton asked adopting a more serious expression.

Guildford drank the rest the whiskey in his glass, "Yes I can. I'll prepare a list of suitable candidates and suggest the idea with Princess Cornelia present to help provide the proper nudge in the right direction. However..."

Dalton raised an eyebrow.

"I cannot promise anything beyond that, because of my own experience."

"Haha, that's right Princess Cornelia named you her knight after that duel you two had," Dalton noticed while laughing at the fond memory.

"Yes and up to that point she insisted that she didn't need a knight," Guildford commented before adopting a more serious expression. "Joking aside I do agree that Princess Euphemia should appoint a knight, and soon because Ultimate Despair has been quiet lately."

"I agree, but there are other threats as well."

Guildford nodded his head.

Ultimate Despair and the Black Knights were the most dangerous terrorist groups in Area 11 with the JLF beginning to diminish regarding influence and support. However, there were internal dangers from competing members of royalty and the noble houses supporting them. After all competition between the members of the royal family was encouraged because usually the last one left standing is the one most worthy to inherit the throne as the next ruler of Britannia. With this in mind, Dalton and Guilford have been concerned about dealing with potential threats from those groups who would instead seize a chance to eliminate Euphemia and maybe even Cornelia as contenders for the throne.

"Princess Cornelia and I will be leaving tomorrow for Kyushu to deal with a base operated by the JLF we have learned about in the region, but at the same time, we intend to crush the supply chain for the drug refrain that has been entering the country through the Kyushu route from the Chinese Federation. We believe this is where weapons have been slipping into the country as well too," Guilford said before putting the glass down.

"I'll stay behind and keep an eye on Princess Euphemia, but I don't think I need to say this Gil but be careful out there."

"You too," Guilford replied with a smile.

* * *

Inside the crumbling ruins of Shinjuku Ghetto, Lelouch and the Black Knights had relocated to an old bomb shelter that had been converted into a base. It was suitable for their needs at the moment, and the underground passageways were large enough to use as temporary storage for weapons and Knightmare Frames. So far Kallen's new Glasgow, which Ohgi had managed to get his hands on, was the only Knightmare Frame they had.

It wasn't much beyond that, but it was a place that could work as a base for storing what they couldn't on their mobile headquarters and training the new recruits.

In one of the rooms, Lelouch was standing with Fuyuhiko while Mukuro stood behind the leader of the attack squad belonging to the Britannian Mafia. If Fuyuhiko hadn't insisted on being with Lelouch during the interrogation, he would've used his Geass on him by now, but before entering, he prepared something to cover its usage. All he needed was the right opportunity and to make it appear the man had given it up as a result of his cover method and the fact he had been worn down.

The move was risky, but hopefully, it won't come to that because he wanted to keep the usage of his Geass hidden as long as possible. Not to mention he didn't want to share that secret with anyone who wasn't part of the Black Knights.

"You better fucking talk," Fuyuhiko snapped before slamming a fist on the table, "how the hell did you fuckers know where my sister would be? Who ordered her kidnapping?"

Lelouch silently agreed that the Kuzuryu Family had a spy in their midst, although it seemed they weren't aware of Natsumi's intentions they knew she would be leaving and where she would be heading which only further supported that her family was left in the dark about joining the Black Knights. It was the only other explanation for how that many armed men had shown up at Natsumi's location with the intent of capturing her.

Zero nodded to Mukuro who knew a knife before stabbing the blade in-between the red-haired man's fingers after laying his right-hand flat on the surface. The mafia member was clearly terrified, but he continued to muster whatever defiance he could, likely aware of the fact there would be little reason to keep him alive if he told the truth.

"Your chances of surviving aren't good you know, because if you don't talk it just makes it a lot worse for you," Fuyuhiko warned.

Sensing an opportunity Lelouch turned to Fuyuhiko, "perhaps as a token of good faith between us I would be willing to hand this man over to your care. I am sure your family has more effective ways of getting information out of men like him."

It took Fuyuhiko a second to realize what Zero was trying to do before a dark smile appeared on his face.

"They sure do, and they'll likely begin with the fingers before cutting off the toes. Then they'll work their way up, but that's not the worst they can do. We'll use a blood transfusion to keep him alive as long as possible until we get everything out of him."

To further help and increase the mounting emotional distress Mukuro began stabbing the knife in-between the fingers of the man's left hand; it was a rinse and repeat process. She would stick the knife in-between a random digit before pulling it out and repeating the process.

Thankfully for Lelouch, this was enough to cause the man to break as he sweating profusely and the group would realize later that he had wet himself.

"Alright, I'll talk!"

"You better be telling the truth or else," Fuyuhiko warned.

"It was Saji Jūjika who told us. Our boss has been bribing him for info for months, and he told us he spotted the girl leaving and managed to track her to the warehouse on the docks," The red-headed gangster admitted fearfully. "He didn't know why, but he called us and told us it was a good chance to abduct her. He left before we arrived to avoid being seen so he could continue to spy on your family for us."

"That son of a bitch is my dad's trusted lieutenant," Fuyuhiko said with anger in his voice, although he was furious already.

"Then I'll leave this man in your hands."

"Huh," the gangster muttered before asking, "aren't you going to help me?"

Lelouch raised an eyebrow beneath his mask, "why?"

"Hey, aren't you people Knights of Justice," the man demanded, but it was likely out of panic and desperation.

"You opened fire on me and my subordinate as well as speak of turning me over to the Viceroy," Zero fired back. "Let's not forget that as part of the Britannian Mafia you have been engaged in acts of murder, arson, and general intimidation against those unable to pay your protection prices. We haven't even talked about how to sell people as slaves and playthings to others on the black market."

"I get the feeling this guy probably sold out some people to get where he is," Fuyuhiko commented with both arms folded across his chest.

"You are probably right," Lelouch said in agreement.

"Wait this guy is no different," The gangster said pointing at Fuyuhiko.

"True I am probably no better given what my family does, Fuyuhiko admitted. "But at least we don't sell people to be used in the sick games those nobles put them through like the rabbit hunts in Babel Tower."

"We may be Knights of Justice who will protect those who can't protect themselves," Zero commented, "but I intend to liberate Japan and transform it into an independent nation. To achieve that goal and my ultimate goal of bringing about Britannia's collapse I know making deals with some unsavory people will be necessary. We'll need weapons and supplies for the battles to come, so we'll need to go through such people. However, we won't go through the mafia for that."

The red-headed gangster was about to argue further, but Mukuro stopped him by slamming head down on the table to knock him unconscious.

"Are you serious about liberating Japan from Britannia," Fuyuhiko asked.

"I am, but I am aware it will be sometime before I have the resources and manpower necessary."

"Could you do it," Fuyuhiko inquired.

Fuyuhiko wasn't a fan of the Britannia ruling over Japan and was among those who were hopeful that the Japan Liberation Front would overthrow the occupation. He was angry with his father as a child for not supporting them or any of the resistance groups, but as he got older and time continued to pass Fuyuhiko saw why his father and, by extension, the Kuzuryu Family didn't support the resistance groups.

They wouldn't accomplish anything, and seven years passing only proved his father's point.

Of course, Cornelia becoming the new Viceroy showed that much of the advantage resistance groups like the JLF had in the past was due to her predecessor's incompetence. On that note, the change in Viceroys affected things for the Kuzuryu Family as Cornelia's efforts to clean up Area 11 both externally and internally. The family and its various businesses were in no immediate danger, but it was only a matter of time before things started to become difficult for them that could see them lose their place as the most dangerous Yakuza Clan of Area 11.

"With the right people and resources I can, but liberating Japan will be the easy part compared to keeping it that way," Lelouch admitted, but no matter what if he wanted revenge on his father and the empire he would have to find a way to make it work.

"If anyone else said that I might've called them crazy, but on the other hand you accomplished more than any other resistance group in barely two months compared to the seven years other groups had," Fuyuhiko pointed out.

"I wasn't expecting that convincing everyone would be easy."

"If you convince my father then maybe you might be a little closer to reaching that goal."

"I see," Lelouch said as he smiled under the mask, "I'll aim to impress them."

Lelouch decided to take it as a hopeful possibility he could win over the Kuzuryu Clan as allies in the future, although the evening didn't go as well as he would've preferred it less chaotic. Yet he suspected that Nagito's luck was a factor in events that unfolded this evening, but this only caused Lelouch's concerns about his unusual talent rebounding upon him to happen at some point.

"Well don't take it too seriously because it's not my call to make, but something to think about."

"I shall…"

* * *

Shortly after Peko, Fuyuhiko and Natsumi left with Ohgi, who was driving them to the Kuzuryu Clan Grounds with the lead gangster in tow via a car they had handy, although Lelouch was disappointed the Black Knights and the Kuzuryu Family didn't become allies because their connections would've helped accelerate his plans nicely. Lelouch wasn't expecting it to be that easy, but he took Fuyuhiko's last comment as an indication that he figuratively had his foot in the door.

 _If I can prove,_ _I_ _am far more capable than the JLF and_ _show_ _that I have the means to overthrow the_ _Britannian_ _occupation_ _will allow me to win them as allies._

His plans were not dependant on the Kuzuryu Clan forming an alliance with him, but Lelouch knew that the more potent allies he could gather the better his chances would be. Not to mention Lelouch wanted to obtain a more secure and reliable means to secure weapons and supplies for his organization since relying on the purchase of firearms from corrupt members of the military was too dangerous for Lelouch's comfort. The Kuzuryu Clan's black market connections would make for a much safer alternative if they could become allies.

 _However,_ _I learned some invaluable information from Natsumi that has painted a clearer picture of what coaxed Hajime Hinata into becoming Hope's Peak Academy's test subject…_

At the same time though it only wiped out any chance for him to feel guilty when he exposes the project to the public.

Lelouch was mulling over the information in his mind when a knock came on his door. He was inside their mobile headquarters on the second floor, but after hearing the knock on his door, he put his mask back on.

"Who is it?"

"It's me," Nagito replied.

"Come in," Lelouch said once he was sure his mask was secured.

Nagito entered the room with a perplexed expression.

"There was something I wanted to ask you, but why were you asking Natsumi questions about a Reserve Course Student?"

 _I suppose he overheard that,_ Lelouch thought, but at the same time he had mentioned to Natsumi not to bring up their discussion about Hajime to anyone else.

Lelouch was careful not to mention any details about the project, and the attack by the mafia had shut down any attempts by Natsumi to inquire about his reason for asking her. Trust wasn't the issue, but he worried if anyone knew Zero was investigating the Kamukura Project it might prompt the academy to not only begin a cover-up they would likely move their test subject to a new location.

The masked man was silent for a few moments before making a decision, "Nagito tell me what you know about Izuru Kamukura?"

"Oh," Nagito was surprised by the sudden question, "he was the founder of Hope's Peak Academy who held the title of Ultimate Hope due being a genius in possession of several talents."

"Has anyone held the title of Ultimate Hope since him?"

"No," Nagito replied, "at least none that I know of."

"When I had Clovis during Shinjuku Ghetto I questioned him about the nature of the girl he had captured. She didn't seem like much at first, but I discovered some interesting facts, and there was the fact he went as far as hiding her existence behind a cover story of her capsule being a poison gas bomb," Lelouch answered. "He has been secretly helping Hope's Peak Academy with a certain experiment."

"Experiment?"

Lelouch nodded before continuing, "I have done some investigating into this project, and I have learned that it is called the Izuru Kamukura Project or its official title is the Hope Cultivation Project."

Nagito seemed both intrigued and surprised that something like that was going on, "to attach the name of the academy's founder it must be something important."

"Yes, and the Reserve Course was established solely as a means to obtain funding for the project and finding lab rats."

Lelouch noticed that Nagito seemed confused at first, but soon realization dawned on him.

"I see, so the project was aiming to _create_ a perfect genius worthy of the title Ultimate Hope out of an ordinary person?"

"Yes," Lelouch confirmed, "I don't know their exact reasons which could've been out of frustration to find someone of Izuru Kamukura's caliber or something else."

Lelouch personally suspected other factors, but he was confident it was likely greed and the idea of controlling such a genius who possessed a wide range of talents.

"So they created one out of one of the Reserve Course students?"

"Correct, but after talking to Natsumi, I believe they used the incident in which she was nearly killed by a fellow student to coax Hajime into signing up for it because his intervention saved Natsumi's life. It doomed Sato to execution, which they made it especially serve to guilt trip the young man into agreeing to the project," Lelouch said, which he had gathered from his discussion with Natsumi.

"I see, and so the Viceroy as part of whatever agreement they had assisted in covering it up."

"And silencing anyone who might bring unwanted attention like his parents," Lelouch revealed grimly.

Nagito began to see the full scope of the lengths the school was willing to go to create an Ultimate Hope, although he was on the fence about it he deduced the reason Zero was telling him this.

"Are you planning on seeing this Ultimate Hope they created?"

"Yes I do," Lelouch answered, "I have been making preparations for it. I intend to infiltrate Hope's Peak Academy with Null's help, and I am going to bring you and Kallen with me. I am also planning on having the woman I found in the capsule to come along too."

"Interesting," Nagito said grateful for the being part of the mission, "so what do you plan to do?"

"Well from the documents I acquired we can assume Hajime's original personality and thoughts were wiped out otherwise I can't imagine how they could keep him contained. Not to mention it will likely make him more compliant as well because they have effectively created a clockwork god."

"You are hoping he'll join us?"

"Ideally I would prefer that, but without meeting the results of their experiments, I can't be sure of anything. However, the danger Hajime could represent to my rebellion could be problematic if I leave Hajime in the academy's hands," Lelouch reasoned.

"I get it, so you are hoping my luck might tip the scales in your favor."

"Not exactly, but since we don't know what to expect its best we should be prepared for whatever happens. I am not sure if we could kill Hajime," Lelouch said as he wondered if the process that turned Hajime into an artificial super genius had done more than alter his mind.

The infiltration of Hope's Peak Academy would be dangerous, but Lelouch could no longer ignore their project, and he needed to actually meet the product of their efforts to determine how to best deal with it.

"We'll go tomorrow night after I have explained this to Ohgi and Kallen," Lelouch said. Although he would have to be sure to tell them not to mention this to anyone else because he feared, Tamaki especially might speak of this in the wrong place at the wrong time, so he reasoned that keeping the circle of those knew as small as possible for now.

 _This will be a risky mission, but without taking such risks my chances to succeed will diminish or doom my rebellion,_ Lelouch thought.

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater: (Killing Game Bachelor Edition Part 2)**

Junko Enoshima was sitting behind the controls of the simulator while it was running, and was now observing day three of everyone's stay within the academy. Much like the first Killing Game, no one tried to murder anyone, so unsurprisingly Junko decided to motivate the women by introducing something new as a test.

Once everyone was gathered in the gym Monokuma made his announcement.

"You know I expected you girls would play the goody two shoe card, but Monokuma is always ready. So here is your motivation to kill someone," Monokuma announced while standing on the stage overlooking the female high school students. "I am calling it the First Blood Perk!"

"First Blood Perk," Celestia asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's right, the first person to commit murder will be allowed to leave here alive. No trial and no strings attached, they just get to walk out of here while the rest you stay and continue the game," Monokuma answered.

"You seriously can't expect one of us to kill someone," Kotomi snapped defiantly.

"She's right," Suzuko said alongside her friend and fellow council member.

"You are fucking crazy!" Natsumi shouted while waving a fist in a threatening manner.

Despite the cries of defiance from the group Monokuma seemed unconcerned.

"Upupupu," Monokuma laughed before, "that reminds me there is one more motive to motivate you all."

"What now," Sayaka said feeling as if Kotomi and the others had tempted fate by their defiance.

"There is one more motive," Monokuma said before announcing, "If no one dies within the next forty-eight hours then I am going to have ALL of you killed."

"WHAT," Kotomi, Sayaka and a few of the others cried out, but others who didn't express their shock vocally showed it upon their faces.

"You heard me. If I don't have someone's corpse within forty-eight hours, then I am just going to have all of you killed, because it wouldn't be a Killing Game if no one killed someone."

Junko watched their varied reactions with a dark smile, wondering which simulated player would take advantage of the First Blood Perk.

* * *

A/N: Whew, a lot went down in this chapter. I was disappointed by the bit where Lelouch, Mukuro, Peko, Natsumi, and Fuyuhiko fought off an unexpected attack by the Britannian Mafia. I was going to make it a little more "interesting", but considering the opposition those gangsters were facing they had no chance in hell of winning.

Hopefully what I got planned next chapter will make up for it.

I'll have to bring in some more formidable opposition to set up a proper battle, which was why events at the hotel takeover were sadly very short. Mukuro alone is hard to take down in a straight up fight given what she faced during Danganronpa IF.

Speaking of Mukuro, although I was a little skeptical about the direction I went with during her conversation with Junko I thought this would be an excellent time to show how much her relationship with Lelouch has affected her. If Makoto merely smiling at her had such an effect then what would all the time she and Lelouch spent together would've done.

Natsumi won't be a one-hit wonder in this chapter, and there is the chat she and her brother are going to have in the next chapter to look forward to as well. They are going to talk about what she and Lelouch had discussed among other things.

Next chapter Lelouch and his small group will attempt to infiltrate Hope's Peak Academy to reach the subject of the Izuru Kamakura Project, but will it all go as planned? Hopefully, Nagito's luck won't backfire on Lelouch during the process.


	20. Chapter 20 Attachment

A/N: first I want to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter.

I do want to clarify one thing about Makoto and how I portrayed his character. I intended to make Makoto more human than someone who would be akin to Suzaku, but not that he is someone who fully supports Lelouch and his methods but rather someone who is genuinely neutral in a sense.

I have no intention of changing his character, but I think Makoto would recognize the issues in both Lelouch and Suzaku's views, although Suzaku's peaceful way of changing the system from within might be more preferable Makoto recognizes that would be impossible with Britannia's current system of government and the number of those with wealth and influence benefit from such a system would not give it up so easily.

This was meant to reflect his more down-to-earth personality aspect, but changing his character was not something I intended. He is still the optimist and pacifist that he is in the series, but Makoto just recognizes that some problems in Area 11 cannot be solved easily even though he would prefer a more peaceful solution.

I hope that cleared things up a little, so without further delay let us move on.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their mind"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 20**

 **Attachment**

The following day Fuyuhiko was sitting at his desk in quiet contemplation, after being dropped off at the Kuzuryu Grounds last night along with Peko, his sister and their prisoner he had informed his father of what had happened. Needless to say, although he wasn't happy with his daughter wandering off like she did he was even _less_ pleased upon learning his most trusted lieutenant had been betraying him behind his back.

By now the former lieutenant was likely spending his time in the Toyko Bay with a new pair of cement shoes after his father confirmed the man's treachery.

It was later that evening that Fuyuhiko spoke with Natsumi while Peko was also present in her sister's room, standing guard by the door. Natsumi sat on her bed while Fuyuhiko stood in front of her younger sister.

* * *

With both arms folded under his chest, Fuyuhiko said, "You know what I am going to ask."

"Yeah, AND!"

"What the fuck were you thinking? You know what kind of organization the Black Knights are," Fuyuhiko snapped.

"They wouldn't go after us," Natsumi argued back.

"That's not what I mean," Fuyuhiko pointed out. "You could end up dead or worse if you got captured by Britannia."

This time Natsumi snapped, "YOU DON'T THINK I KNOW THAT!?"

Fuyuhiko was surprised by her outburst, but it did little to deter him.

"You just want us to accept that?"

"No, but its better than rotting away here doing nothing," Natsumi answered with a tear in her eye.

Fuyuhiko had no retort, and maybe he should've known that Natsumi would never be satisfied with being kept locked away inside the mansion.

"I know," Fuyuhiko said understanding that his younger sister hated her isolation. "Anyway, I should say you should know that father will consider backing the Black Knights if they prove capable, although he is concerned about their Knight of Justice bit."

"I don't think there will be any reason to worry, although Zero proclaims the Black Knights are Knights of Justice he is willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goals," Natsumi explained. "He told me everything he does is with the goal of overthrowing the occupation and bringing Britannia down."

"Then he is a liar?"

"No," Natsumi replied, "that knight of justice bit is true to an extent. Zero told me he despised how other resistance groups always went after civilians and never really tried to actually fight against Britannia. Going after civilians doesn't accomplish anything; expect to turn any potential source of support against you."

"Basically he'll do whatever it takes as long as it doesn't backfire on him," Fuyuhiko asked which Natsumi nodded in confirmation.

"More or less, but his ultimate objective is Britannia's destruction."

"It will probably be awhile before Zero works his way to that goal," Fuyuhiko said.

"Yeah, but if Area 11 becomes Japan again, I am not overly concerned with how he gets there. But," Natsumi said before an expression of puzzlement appeared on her face. "It was weird though he seemed very interested in Hajime Hinata?"

"Who?"

"Hajime Hinata, he was the guy who saved my life when Sato tried to kill me. He was one of my classmates I told you about?"

"Oh right," Fuyuhiko before recalling the name and the time Natsumi mentioned him. "What about it?"

"Zero was very interested in learning about anything I knew about Hajime and became more interested when I told him about his involvement in saving my life and Sato being executed by the authorities for attempting to murder a student on Hope's Peak Academy grounds."

"You think that Zero might be investigating something fishy going on that he is tied to?"

"Maybe, but Hajime doesn't strike me as the kind of person who would end up on Zero's radar. I don't know really, but the whole thing struck me as really odd."

* * *

Returning to the present Fuyuhiko mulled on what he had learned from Natsumi, although on the one hand, it wasn't something to be concerned about he did agree that it was odd for someone like Zero to be interested in a nobody.

 _Or_ , Fuyuhiko realized internally, _Zero knows something we don't._

* * *

Around the same time, Lelouch was meeting with Kyoko in-between one of the smaller school buildings that connected the gym with the main building. With no one else around, Kyoko handed Lelouch a folder filled with documents the Ultimate Detective had collected over the course of her investigation into Ruruka Ando. Judging by the thickness of the binder Lelouch believed that Kyoko was either very thorough, found a lot of dirt on her, or both.

"I assume you were quite successful," Lelouch began.

"It was easier than I had imagined, but I guess you don't have to worry much from the school," Kyoko replied.

"How so," Lelouch replied accepting the folder from Kyoko.

"The headmaster doesn't seem to have a problem with students as long as their actions don't attract unwanted attention that could damage the school's reputation. No matter how morally questionable their actions and hobbies are," Kyoko pointed out coldly.

All things considered, Lelouch was hardly surprised given the people who run Hope's Peak Academy are conducting tests on humans and are fooling people to pay for their untalented child to attend the reserve course to fund said experiments.

"You are right, especially when the people they sent to investigate Sayaka seemed more concern about protecting the school's reputation," Lelouch said in agreement.

"Sometimes I wonder how the school has not only managed to stay in operation but why it was given so much freedom and special privileges."

"That's an excellent question," Lelouch replied. "I don't believe that story fed to the public."

Kyoko nodded, "I agree there must've been something else."

 _I'll be sure to get some information on that tomorrow night_ , Lelouch thought.

Suddenly the duo was interrupted by Kokichi who ran past the two before doubling back to ask Kyoko and Lelouch a question with a big smile on his face.

"Hey, are you two dating or something," Kokichi asked, but his question earned him glares from Kyoko and Lelouch.

"We are having a private discussion, nothing more or less," Lelouch snapped.

"Private huh," Kokichi asked with a mischievous grin.

"It's nothing like that," Kyoko said before asking to change the subject, "why are you running?"

Kokichi shrugged his shoulders, "No reason."

"You pulled another prank on the Student Council again didn't you?" Lelouch asked correctly guessing the reason Kokichi was on the run.

"What makes you think that?"

It was either fate or tempted by Kokichi's remark that the voice of someone shouting was heard.

"There he is!"

The voice came from two men, one of was towering young man with long limbs. They were jet-black school uniforms, but it only furthered their seemingly inhuman appearance coupled with their pale skin and waist-length black hair. Their facial features seemed more akin to a lizard than a human with a long tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"We got you now you bastard," the second student shouted.

He was about as a tall as the first student standing with him, but a fundamental difference was the muscular frame the eighteen-year-old possessed. He had a tanned complexion with black hair tied into a short ponytail with a stern expression upon his face. Unlike most male students he wore his uniform without the standard coat and rolled up the white sleeves of his shirt. He wore red suspenders and a yellow tie.

Isshiki Madarai (Ultimate Bodyguard) and Tomohiko Gōryoku (Ultimate Boxer) glared daggers at Kokichi, but before he could flee, he was suddenly interrupted by Kotomi who hurled a needle at Kokichi's forehead. Thanks to Kokichi being successfully distracted by the two most imposing members of the Student Council, Kotomi was able to come around the corner of the building opposite of where they stood surprising Kokichi with her needle attack.

Kotomi's needle was stuck upon a pressure point on Kokichi's forehead that rendered his body completely immobile. He was still breathing, but it seemed the rest of Kokichi's body and higher brain functions were seemingly turned off.

Lelouch was intrigued by what he had just witnessed, so he started waving his hand in front of a frozen Kokichi to see if he would respond in any way. His eyes didn't move in the slightest nor were there any signs of him reacting in any way.

"Other than the fact he is still breezing Kokichi is frozen," Kyoko said thinking out loud as she was just as intrigued by what Kotomi did to him.

"Everything except what he needs to stay alive has been basically switched off," Kotomi explained with a smirk.

"Triggering such a pressure point to immobilize someone like this can't be as simple as you've shown it to be," Lelouch pointed out.

"You're right it's not," Kotomi acknowledged. "To get this kind of effect is extremely difficult and requires very high precision because you must strike that pressure point just right. I suppose the best way to describe it would be like trying to hit the top of a pin from ten feet away."

"I see," Kyoko said as she was silently impressed by Kotomi's ability to paralyze people with a well-placed needle in the right pressure point, although, on the other hand, it was a worrying skill.

"Excuse me," Tomohiko said as he picked up the immobile Kokichi, handling him like a stiff board.

"Considering what you can to do to him I am surprised he would keep pulling whatever pranks he has been doing to you guys," Lelouch said with a curious expression wishing to find out details.

"It's easy if the target is stationary, but if he or she is running around, then it's challenging to land it."

"Hence why two of your fellow council members acted as a distraction," Kyoko deduced.

"I am sure whatever you got in mind for Kokichi is well deserved," Lelouch commented.

"Trust me it is," Kotomi said casting a glare at the frozen Kokichi. "Anyway sorry for interrupting you two. Have a good day."

With that, the members of the Student Council left with a captive Kokichi in tow.

"That was a little sudden," Lelouch commented.

"Indeed," Kyoko said in agreement.

"Anyway," Lelouch said as he sought to get their discussion back on track. "What do I owe you? I'll pay whatever price you ask."

"Don't worry about it," Kyoko replied with a dismissive hand gesture. "I had no intention of charging you, especially with how easily collecting this information was."

"I appreciate the gesture, but if there is any way I could offer my assistance you can ask me, so we'll call it even. Does that sound fair," Lelouch asked.

"Fair enough," Kyoko answered with a nod.

Once she concluded her business with Lelouch, the Ultimate Detective returned to her room in the student dormitory. Kyoko locked the door once she was inside before making a beeline to her desk by her bed where she two plastic binders resting side by side. One had a black cover while the other was red. After sitting down in her chair, Kyoko flipped open the black folder revealing its contents to be filled with notes attached to various newspaper clippings related to Monokuma and Ultimate Despair.

The other binder contained information related to Zero and the Black Knights.

Sitting down at her desk Kyoko began reviewing all of the information she had collected. Kyoko found it both perplexing and intriguing at the growth of Ultimate Despair and the Black Knights. However, where she trouble understanding how Ultimate Despair grew so quickly given their aims and ideology the growth of the Black Knights were easier to grasp. The Black Knights were known as the Knights of Justice they claimed to be quickly proved they lived up to that expectation. Ever since the hotel takeover, they intervened in they had eliminated various drug rings and exposed corrupt politicians who sold off food and supplies meant for welfare for the Japanese to fill their own pockets.

 _Yet it's all a means to an end I am sure_ , Kyoko thought.

The results of Zero's actions allowed him to gain a lot of public support from the Japanese people. The fact that Zero didn't target civilians and went after the powerful who abused their as he proclaimed only won over more of the local populace.

 _He might be in a better position to deal with Ultimate Despair, but what will happen when they clash?_ Kyoko wondered internally.

* * *

Later that night Chisa Yukizome was quietly slipping from one corner to another. She was dressed in her standard attire expect that she swapped out her apron for a black cap to hide her long hair and disguise her identity. It wasn't much of a disguise, but unless someone got close to her or switched on the lights no one would recognize her. The hallways in the Future Foundation administration building were dark, but Chisa came prepared with a pair of night vision goggles Juzo provided her. They had belonged to a student and were confiscated during an incident that saw the student suspended, so Juzo sneaked them out of the school contraband lock up for her to use.

 _This is easier than I thought_ , Chisa thought.

On the other hand, Chisa couldn't help but worry that this was too good to be true. All things considered, security should've been much tighter. Instead, the halls were virtually deserted with the security cameras, and other measures seemingly shut down.

 _Juzo lifted this Committee Member's Security Card, better get the most out of it. Maybe I can find out why security is so light_ , Chisa thought as she continued to make her way to the office of the Steering Committee member whose security card she had.

* * *

Outside in another corner of the school grounds Lelouch, dressed as Zero, was approaching the statue of Hope's Peak Academy's founder. The man known as Izuru Kamukura was an elderly Japanese man with the top of his head bald with white hair flaring out from the sides with a beard and mustache dressed in a suit holding a cane with both hands. Following him was Mukuro and Nagito who wore the Black Knight face-shield with the hat to conceal his identity. Kallen was also with them armed with an assault rifle, but like Nagito she wore the black face-shield and the cap to hide her identity.

Waiting for them by Izuru Kamakura's statue was a man who was in his forties with short brown hair and green eyes with a depressed expression on his face wearing a black suit.

Lelouch was grinning under his mask as the youngest member of the Steering Committee waited for them.

 _Putting one of them under my Geass was the hardest part_ , Lelouch mused internally.

Thankfully upon putting members of Hope's Peak Security under his Geass, which were the same security force employed at Future Foundation headquarters, provided Lelouch with the means to find an opening. Lelouch learned that older and more senior members of the committee were paranoid men especially towards the younger members of the committee. Lelouch discovered that the youngest member, Reo Shiki had a love for Curry Rice. The members of Academy security recorded where Reo went around the academy, and one constant was that every other day he would go to the academy cafeteria to pay the Ultimate Cook to make him the best curry rice he had ever tasted.

 _He was quite dismissive of me, but one moment of eye contact was all I needed_ , Lelouch thought.

Now he had Reo under Lelouch's control and thanks to Mukuro distracting Teruteru. Lelouch was able to not only use him as a means to reach Hajime, but he was able to obtain everything related to the Kamakura Project, but Lelouch had documents and records related to every dirty secret and project they were tied to.

Lelouch wanted to have enough dirt to not only bury the Steering Committee but to provide them with a one way trip to the gallows for their actions.

"Evening Mr. Shiki," Lelouch greeted, "you will lead us to Izuru Kamakura."

With a nod of his head, the Geass ensnared committee member used a remote to open a hidden passageway. The ground in front of Izuru Kamakura's statue slid back revealing a secret staircase leading underground.

Kallen watched silently, but like Nagito she was wondering how he got a member of the Steering Committee to help them.

Meanwhile peeking out from the corner of a nearby building was C.C., who had silently followed Lelouch to keep an eye on him.

* * *

Around the same time, Junko was humming the theme song to an old spy television series as she sat behind Monokuma's controls. The insidious mechanical toy plushie was currently crawling through the ventilation ducks of Hope's Peak Academy. Thanks to Lelouch putting the night shift of the academy's security under his Geass with orders to not only ignore all unusual occurrences but to erase all recordings of tonight's events and replace them with a copy of footage from the previous night to cover up his actions tonight.

For Junko, this was a golden opportunity for her to conduct her own mission.

Monokuma was dressed in a black turtleneck sweater with a matching black fanny pack around its waist. With the layout of the academy's ventilation system memorized the mechanical bear moved about the ducts, which was until the bear reached its destination.

Despite the noise, Monokuma's movements in the vents made none of the academy's security guards paid him any mind thanks to the orders Lelouch gave them through his Geass. Junko even had Monokuma perform a dance before of the security cameras as a test, which security didn't react at all too.

"Alright," Monokuma said as he drew a tool from his fanny pack. "Time to go to work."

Using an electric screwdriver with a long flexible neck, Monokuma slipped the tool through the gaps in the vent before maneuvering the turned head into position to unscrew the screw holding the vent to the wall. Monokuma would repeat this process until all of them were undone allowing him to open the vent. Once Monokuma was inside the office he resealed the vent behind him.

"Now where is the computer," Junko said as she scanned the room through Monokuma's eyes.

Once Monokuma spotted the computer the mechanical plushie made its way over to the side of the desktop computer where Monokuma began using its electric screwdriver to unscrew the side panel. Upon gaining access to the computer's internal components, Monokuma pulled out a small cylinder shaped device that was the size of a thumb drive. The small device had the same color scheme as Monokuma with a single wire.

"Upupupu," Monokuma laughed as he attached the wire before inserting the device into the computer. Once he saw the green light blink confirming a successful setup Monokuma put the panel back before resealing the desktop computer. "Once Mr. Asplund logs on little Monaca will see his password, and once she has it, she'll do some raiding."

The transmitter Monokuma installed has a keylogging program, but it could also allow Monaca to remotely access his computer from any nearby location using a laptop with the receiver. Once the keylogging program obtains Lloyd's password, Monaca could remotely access the desktop computer after hours, remotely switching it on, to begin raiding all of his files related to the Lancelot, and anything else developed by the ASEEC.

 _New Knightmare Frames, new_ _technology,_ _and_ _weapons, whatever he has stored on this computer will belong to little Monaca,_ Junko thought with a sly smile.

Once his task was done Monokuma exited the office through the door since he didn't need a card key to open it from the inside, but once he was outside his red eye began glowing as Monokuma cast his gaze upon the Lancelot.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the underground research facility below Hope's Peak Academy, Lelouch led his group towards the room Hajime Hinata, or rather Izuru Kamakura he was being called now was being kept.

Security was nonexistent thanks to the fact that most of the underground complex was dependent on cameras and sensors from the central control room. Another reason for this Lelouch suspected was a means of information control because there was a risk if too many of their security staff knew about their experiments then the risk of exposure was higher. Lelouch deduced that the most trustworthy of their security staff, or rather those who are loyal or more likely they had something over them to ensure their silence was tasked with security over the underground complex.

Hence how Zero and the Black Knights made their way through the complex with no resistance.

A short time later the group arrived at a white door locked using a retina scanner by the door. Lelouch gestured for the entranced Steering Committee to open it the door.

"Be on your guard, but be careful not to appear threatening since I am not sure what to expect beyond this point," Lelouch cautioned.

The committee member opened the door revealing a medium sized room beyond it. Had the lights been on it would've been a completely white room, but it was dark and almost empty except for a single metal framed bed at the center of the room. Sitting upon it was the room's lone occupant.

 _Why am I feeling so tense_ , Lelouch thought as he felt a chill in the room he boldly stepped into.

The light from the door behind Lelouch illuminated the bed ahead of him revealing a figure seated upon the bed dressed in a black suit with three white buttons, a black tie and a white dress shirt underneath. The rest of his attire consisted of likely a black belt and matching loafers. The young man who had once been Hajime Hinata possessed long flowing black hair that reached past his knees, his skin had become pale as a result of year-long isolation, and his eyes were red adding an air of intimidation to him.

"Are you the one who was once Hajime Hinata or do you prefer Izuru Kamakura?" Lelouch asked as the young man merely looked back at him with cold indifference.

An uneasy silence filled the room, although the tension in the room caused Mukuro to adopt a defensive stance. Nagito was curious about this Ultimate Hope while Kallen feeling the tension around them felt nervous.

With no response, Lelouch decided to keep speaking to somehow get a response from him.

"What is your purpose? Are you simply a slave to the committee who creates you?" Lelouch asked, but he was met with silence from Izuru.

Lelouch carefully began weighing his options, but given the lack of response coupled with an apparent lack of emotion, Lelouch realized he had few options before him.

 _I didn't want to resort to this, but_ , Lelouch thought as he activated the switch on his mask to reveal his Geass.

Before Lelouch could speak, Izuru tossed the pillow at Lelouch. He had barely any chance to register Izuru throwing the cushion because of how quick his hand moved akin to that of an old western quickdraw.

By the time Lelouch knocked the pillow away Izuru was no longer in his line of sight, but...

"Zero-sama," Mukuro cried out in alarm as she attempted to shoot Izuru. Unfortunately, Izuru was moving faster than the eye could track before he not only swiftly disarmed before a single blow sent her flying across the room.

With Null's defeat, Kallen intervened, but like Mukuro she was swiftly disarmed before she could fire and was sent flying into a wall behind her. Nagito pulled a pistol, but unlike Kallen and Mukuro he had both a clear shot and time to shoot.

"Huh," Nagito exclaimed upon realizing the gun he held was jammed, " it's jammed!"

Suddenly in one fluid motion, Izuru stepped to the right side of Nagito.

"If it's good luck I have that too," Izuru said calmly as he took the gun from Nagito before fixing the pistol.

Nagito was watching in stunned awe at who was probably the most talented person Nagito had encountered. At the same Izuru was standing behind Lelouch with the gun pointed at his head.

 _He disarmed Kallen, Mukuro, and even Nagito so easily_ , Lelouch thought while grasping at how quickly it had happened before he could adequately react to what was happening.

Then again Lelouch realized there was very little at this point he could do against Izuru.

"What was that," Izuru demanded, but his tone carried a sense of curiosity instead of anger.

"How did you realize what I would do?"

"Logically speaking an infamous terrorist such as you, despite your accomplishments, couldn't have reached me this easily given the resources you likely possess," Izuru explained before casting a quick glance at Reo who was still standing silently outside.

Around this time Kallen and Mukuro began to recover as they struggled to their feet.

"Seeing a member of the Steering Committee in your company who appears to be a trance suggests that you must've done some akin to brainwashing. There is that fact that I am familiar with how he acts when he and the others visit, so him standing there placated and following your instructions confirms my analysis of the situation and your intent to use it on me," Izuru answered.

 _I see, so he does indeed possess superhuman analysis abilities akin to Junko_ , Lelouch realized, although he suspected as much.

"You are half correct, but if you are interested in details. I'll tell you in exchange if you answer my questions," Lelouch offered while hoping to create an opportunity in the subsequent discussion to turn it around. "I will make no further attempts to use my power on you. We both can agree any further attempts on my part will not end well for me."

"Very well," Izuru said as Lelouch closed the slide panel on his mask. "Tell me what is that red glow from your eye is."

"My power is called Geass," Lelouch began, "it was granted by an immortal woman through a process I cannot explain. My Geass grants me the power to, just once, compel anyone to obey an order I give no matter what it is."

Kallen was shocked by this revelation, but Nagito understood how Zero was to achieve some of his feats. However they were forewarned about this revelation, but Zero didn't give them any details fearing they wouldn't believe him or get the wrong impression.

" _It's best if you see it in action, but remember this, had I wanted to control you we wouldn't be having this discussion."_

Those were the words Zero spoke before they slipped into Hope's Peak Academy, but the revelation that possessed the means of making anyone obey an order just once allowed Kallen and Nagito to grasp how security has completely ignored them and how Zero got a member of the Steering Committee to help them. Their curiosity overcame whatever concerns they had at the moment, but now that they were convinced of Zero possessing such power they were now eager to learn the details.

"I see, so you ordered security to ignore all unusual activity and destroy any evidence of your presence," Izuru said easily deducing the orders Zero gave to Hope's Peak Academy Security.

"Correct, catching each member of the night shift security wasn't an easy task I assure you compared to putting a member of the Steering Committee under my control," Lelouch explained. "They will not remember anything while under my Geass even if I had ordered otherwise, which I believe it is due to my Geass interfering with the subject's brain and cannot recall their memories of what happened while under its effects. All I need is direct eye contact with the victim, and even transparent objects like glasses or even sunglasses don't poise to be a problem. I can reflect it off an optical surface."

However, Lelouch decided to withhold information about the range limit to his Geass because that could be the only advantage he would have left. He had expected this meeting to turn sour and Lelouch feared he might've not gotten the chance to use it on Izuru regardless. This was a young man mentally and physically enhanced to carry every known talent studied by Hope's Peak Academy, so Lelouch had prepared to reveal his Geass as a price to pay to potentially gain Izuru as an ally.

It was a huge price to pay, but it had a much more substantial risk associated with it. Unfortunately, it was Lelouch's only option at this point.

 _I suspected he would likely possess ultimate-level analysis capabilities, but none of the information gathered had a complete list of his talents._ _Furthermore,_ _I_ _couldn't be_ _sure_ _of what his mindset and personality would like_ , Lelouch thought.

Lelouch suspected the likely talents Izuru was implanted with, but he didn't know what to expect from Izuru himself and what would his personality be like knowing any traces of Hajime Hinata were likely purged. Even if it was an accident or a byproduct of the process of converting him to the Ultimate Hope Lelouch knew it would probably benefit the Committee more if Hajime's personality and memories were wiped from him.

 _Even easier given their_ _cover-up_ _involving the murder of his parents_ , Lelouch added internally.

Upon confirming he did possess Ultimate Analysis Lelouch knew his contingency plan of piquing Izuru's interest in the supernatural and unknown power of Geass would provide the means, hopefully, to bring him to his side.

 _Or at least have Izuru leave the academy to get him away from both the committee and Britannia_ , Lelouch thought aware that convincing Izuru to join him would be difficult.

Still, Lelouch didn't like the fact he had to reveal details about his Geass let alone tell anyone its limitations.

 _Remember if Izuru could defeat Mukuro, Kallen,_ _and_ _Nagito this easily then he'll crush your rebellion if Britannia pushes the committee to unleash him against you_ , the logical aspect of Lelouch's mind reminded.

"This immortal you mentioned granted you this power?"

"Yes, although I don't fully understand how the process works. C.C. made contact with me in Shinjuku Ghetto, and through that exchange, my mind was transported to some kind of place that I simply cannot describe where I received this power," Lelouch explained.

"Why did you call the one who granted you the power immortal?"

"Because through reasons unknown to me before granting the power of Geass she was shot in the head," Lelouch answered before adding. "I am not sure if it's because of her position as a granter of Geass power, but she recovered from being shot in the head when she tracked me down a few days later. She is also immune to my Geass, but beyond that, she hasn't been forthcoming about any further details."

Izuru was quiet as if processing all he has learned.

"If you want to find out more including its origins you would probably try to convince the one who gave me this power to reveal that information," Lelouch pointed out.

"Your real goal is for me to leave this place isn't it?" Izuru deduced, but Lelouch wasn't surprised at this point.

"I admit that is true because from a tactical perspective you represent a dangerous element to my own plans. Joining me and the Black Knights would've been a more preferred outcome, but have you simply leave this place works for me either way so Britannia and the Academy cannot use you against me," Lelouch answered.

"Your goal is to overthrow Britannia rule and liberate Japan?"

"No," Lelouch admitted to Kallen's surprise, "but that is part of my plan. My ultimate goal is to destroy Britannia but to do that I must liberate Japan so I can work to unite the world against it. Once that is accomplished the world shall change. Even if Japan was liberated there is nothing to prevent Britannia from reconquering it or there is the fact the Chinese Federation could conquer it to prevent it from falling into Britannian hands again."

"Change the world," Izuru said as his mind began flittering through hundreds of different possibilities.

Aside from what would potentially happen if Zero failed Izuru predicted dozens of possibilities of what would happen if Zero was successful. Depending on how he dealt with Britannia, but one of many similar options he deduced was that if Lelouch completely destroyed Britannia as he proclaimed then the resulting power vacuum would lead to a worldwide conflict between the remaining superpowers seeking to fill the void.

Zero will likely take precautions against this given his plan to unite the world, but the leaders of the other superpowers might betray him, Izuru thought.

Regardless Izuru contemplated the possibility that someone would likely use the resulting war to one side's advantage. Not only did the other superpowers, the Chinese Federation and Europia United, come to mind so did Ultimate Despair. However, Zero's Geass power introduced an unknown variable to his predictions coupled with the likelihood that Zero wasn't the only one with such power that further complicated his predictions.

 _Could_ _supernatural phenomenon_ _we dismissed in the past exist as well_ , Izuru wondered which further complicates his prediction.

Such a thought intrigued him instead of frustrated him.

"Where is this woman you gave you Geass?"

Lelouch smiled beneath his mask, "if you want to meet her and obtain a Geass you'll need desire. My power came from my own desire to bring about change and to command others. You seem to lack desire Izuru Kamakura. Otherwise, you'll receive a Geass with a predictable power, but if you find something to desire strongly, it could lead you to obtain a power that could be more interesting."

Izuru said nothing, although he knew Zero was trying to appeal to his desires for something unpredictable that he couldn't comprehend easily. It was something Zero was able to recognize that no one has.

It was working too.

"The person you were," Lelouch began now taking his biggest risk yet. "Hajime Hinata was close to the Ultimate Gamer Chiaki Nanami. Perhaps she can lead you to find something to desire."

Nagito was intrigued and surprised that the person Izuru was had a bond with his class representative, but more so he was curious how Zero knew that.

"What purpose could the Ultimate Gamer serve?"

"If my suspicions are right then I doubt Hajime would forget her so easily even if you have overwritten him. She indirectly motivated him to take part in the project that birthed you," Lelouch said. "Maybe for you, she could help find desire or do you think you'll find it through any other means?"

Izuru was silent, but said "how boring."

After a moment of silence, Lelouch realized that Izuru was gone upon Kallen pointing that out.

"He's gone Zero."

Lelouch turned around, and Izuru was nowhere to be seen.

"This is not the outcome I wanted," Zero said while sighing internally.

"Yet he has left the academy, so part of your objective was achieved," Nagito added hopefully.

"True enough, but what happens now is up to him."

"Zero, this power of yours," Kallen began before Lelouch used a wave of his hand to interrupt her.

"We'll wait until we away from here to have this discussion since you are more likely to believe the story now," Zero explained before gesturing for Kallen, Mukuro, and Nagito to follow him.

* * *

Meanwhile, as Lelouch and his group began to leave school grounds, Monokuma was inside another office using computer access to order equipment. Junko was making use of a Steering Committee member's office and another student's pull he had to make the order all the more convincing and legitimate. The location where the delivery would be made would be questionable, but Junko was certain no one would notice because they'll be more concerned with tracking down their Ultimate Hope.

 _If Lelouch was_ _successful_ _like I know he will be, their Ultimate Hope_ _will_ _be gone,_ _and_ _they'll be going into_ _Defcon_ _five over disappearance I am sure_ , Junko thought as she was grinning from ear to ear.

Besides with all of the questionable and shady deals the committee members conduct on what seemed to be a daily business Junko was confident no one would look into it.

 _Even though I didn't need the equipment that much it will divert attention and ensure some eager parties will blame the wrong people_ , Junko thought insidiously.

* * *

At that same moment, Chisa was also inside the office belonging to a member of the Steering Committee, but contrary to Junko the young woman was deeply concerned by how easy it was to sneak in and hack the committee member's computer. Others might've felt joy at how easy infiltrating one of the most secured locations in Area 11 would've been, but for Chisa, she was deeply concerned because it shouldn't have been this easy.

 _I should be happy_ _with_ _how easy this has been, but this feels wrong_ , Chisa thought as she was finishing copying all of the information she had discovered about the Izuru Kamakura Project.

"I can't believe this," Chisa said quietly while thinking out loud, "human experiments, just what they were thinking?"

Chisa couldn't grasp what motivated them to human experimentation, and the picture only got worse because the personality of the test subject was ultimately suppressed to the point they were destroyed as a person. The fact it was likely Hajime, whom Chisa was aware of that Chiaki was close too, only worsened and increased her feelings of horror.

It was also these same things that made her feel alarmed at how easy it was all going.

 _Just finish up and get out of here,_ Chisa thought since she couldn't do much at this point beyond completing her assignment.

Chisa could only hope that Kyosuke could do something with this information to put a stop to this madness.

* * *

Later that evening, it was almost midnight, when Lelouch returned to his apartment where Junko was waiting for him having finished her own mission for the evening. Things might not have gone as planned for Lelouch, but everything for Junko went well all things considered. The rest was up to Monaca to take care of for the later stages of their plans.

Lelouch sat down on his bed while Junko moved closer to him before placing her hands on his shoulders to begin massaging them.

"So, how did it go?"

"Well, you can probably guess that their Ultimate Hope didn't join me."

Junko didn't seem too surprised, "I suppose that is something that had to be expected."

"However he has left the school so at the very least Britannia can't use him against me."

"Neither can the school if they were looking to curry favor with the Britannian Empire, right?"

"Yes that is also true," Lelouch said in agreement. "I wish I knew what he intended, but I can't say at this point."

"Do you think he'll track you down?"

Lelouch shrugged his shoulders, "If he wants to find C.C. yes, but I don't think he has enough information to use right now."

"I suppose, but how did Kallen and that other guy take the news about possessing a power that compels people to do what you say," Junko asked.

"It went about as I expected, although I can't blame them for being suspicious," Lelouch answered.

It was difficult to convince them of not only his obtainment of his Geass, but he hadn't used it on them except Kallen. Lelouch didn't fault them for being suspicious, because might've reacted similarly if he was faced with such a revelation. How he addressed, it would've been different though, but regardless he convinced Nagito, Kallen, and Ohgi to keep quiet about his possession of Geass after revealing the Britannians have access to users who possess similar powers. It really helped when Lelouch pointed out that he wanted to keep the circle of those who knew small to prevent the Britannians from finding out what they knew chiefly because Tamaki couldn't keep his mouth shut.

Ohgi and Kallen didn't offer an argument.

"At least they didn't turn on you," Junko pointed out.

"I suppose, which I am thankful for."

"Yeah, but if they did Mukuro would've killed them."

Lelouch didn't respond to that, but he knew had they threatened him then Mukuro could've easily killed them both. Kallen was a skilled fighter, but she stood no chance against someone deemed to be the Ultimate Soldier thanks to her agility, strength, skills and combat experience that exceeded Kallen's expertise.

"Nagito, on the other hand, was surprisingly the most accepting," Lelouch added trying to steer the conversation in another direction.

"I heard about that guy from Mukuro and from a few people around school. Even after meeting him I am convinced the guy clearly has some screws loose," Junko commented before adding internally.

 _And probably the_ _biggest_ _hope fanboy I have met._

"True, but his luck has been more of my concern. Other than what happened with Izuru there have been no problems so far," Lelouch said as his most significant concern with Nagito was his luck that he feared could one day rebound on him.

"Do you have a plan for that?"

"Nothing concrete considering how his luck works."

"So you are basically expecting that rebound to happen when you are at your most vulnerable?" Junko asked, which she assumed was correct when Lelouch didn't answer her immediately.

Junko smirked as a thought came to mind.

"By the way, there is something on a more personal note we need to talk about," Junko whispered seductively into Lelouch's ear. It prompted Lelouch to be on his guard because he had a suspicious feeling where Junko would attempt to steer the conversation.

"And what would that be?" Lelouch asked knowing he would regret asking, but he knew there was no avoiding this conversation.

"It's about Mukuro."

Lelouch was a little surprised as he wasn't expecting that to be the topic of the conversation, "is there something wrong!"

"Kinda and I found out about this from C.C. recently after you took my virginity," Junko explained.

Lelouch began to realize where this conversation was heading as he pieced together what could explain some of the slight mood changes in Mukuro.

"Mukuro is in love with you," Junko said to Lelouch's surprise because he never noticed any indication of such feelings from her. "I know she did a good job hiding them from you, which didn't help her win your heart before I did."

"I assume Mukuro didn't tell C.C. did she?"

Junko nodded, "Yep she was crying when she found out what happened between us that night."

"I see," Lelouch said feeling regret at having been oblivious to her feelings. "I should apologize to Mukuro."

"You could," Junko began before a smile appeared on her face, "or could accept her feelings and invite her to join us."

 _I knew it_ , Lelouch as his eyes narrowed having suspected Junko would suggest that.

"I don't see Mukuro as the type who would share," Lelouch pointed out.

"Are you about?"

"She doesn't strike me as that type," Lelouch quickly pointed out. "Besides I don't understand why you are so set on having me sleep with other women?"

"Not just with other women, but those with either the connections or the skills, or both, to further your goals," Junko answered. "Besides if two women like the same guy then what's wrong with a little sharing?"

"Loyalty could be a problem," Lelouch said offering a counter. "You obliviously don't see other couples encouraging that."

Junko shrugged her shoulders, "I suppose that could be a problem, and that is something that happens among Britannian couples with the nobility, but we aren't like them."

"Not enough to convince me," Lelouch shot back coldly, but Junko responded by seductively whispering in his ear.

"Are you sure you won't be convinced?"

"Unlikely," Lelouch replied holding his ground.

He knew whatever temptations Junko threw at him would probably work to some degree, which Lelouch blamed on his body that was of a teenage boy and hormones. Regardless Lelouch had no desire for any kind of harem, and even if he loved them unlike his father and his consorts, Lelouch didn't want one because they would be a potential distraction and he couldn't think of anyone except Junko who would be willing to share sleeping with the same man.

 _Maybe,_ _Milly_ _,_ Lelouch thought, which he quickly made a mention note to avoid mentioning Milly to keep him from giving Junko any ideas.

Thankfully Junko dropped the conversation before pulling him back to capture his lips with a kiss.

On the other hand, Lelouch thought he should do something about Mukuro, although he wasn't sure if an apology alone would be sufficient.

* * *

Two days later, during the morning hours, Ruruka had an unexpected summons to the Headmasters office, and while meeting with Jin Kirigiri inside his office, her boyfriend was waiting outside. Ruruka wasn't sure what to expect so she put up a neutral front, especially when she saw Jin Kirigiri regard her with a stern expression. No matter what Ruruka couldn't think of any reason she could be in trouble with the academy's headmaster.

"Thank you for coming so promptly Miss Ando," Jin began. "I do apologize for the sudden of the summons, but this is a matter we need to discuss."

"Is there something wrong?"

"Some troubling information has come to my attention, and I wanted to talk to you about it before it becomes a problem that could negatively affect your standing in this school," Jin answered causing Ruruka to become concerned. "Are you aware that the candies that you made have been laced with chemicals provided to you by the Ultimate Pharmacist have seen use as a method of promoting and selling of narcotics? I know your creations tend to have a very addictive quality to them, but your addition of using some of the creations of the Ultimate Pharmacist and your selling to some very questionable people have us concerned."

Ruruka was shocked, but offered a protest, "but I never sold my candies to any."

Jin cut her off by revealing a handful of photos he had kept hidden in a drawer of his desk. He drew them out before laying them on his desk for Ruruka to see.

"The man here you are talking to was arrested last night during a police raid as part of their efforts to crack down on narcotics in Area 11. Your candies now laced with Refrain were found among the evidence they seized," Jin replied with a stern expression.

Ruruka was shocked, although she never really asked what people used her candies for as long as they paid her well for her creations.

"We know this was being done without your knowledge, but I felt we should talk to avoid any potentially compromising situations for you. I don't have a problem with how you develop your talent, but if it's something that could damage the academy's reputation, then the committee will ask me to step in."

"I understand, and I promise to be a little more careful in the future," Ruruka said feeling relieved, but that had been quite a scare for her.

"Good and since you are here there is a related matter I wish to talk to you about," Jin said. "We insist you stop using Miss Kimura's creations in your candies."

"Huh," Ruruka said clearly surprised.

"In light of recent events we believe this is for the best, and it has been brought to my attention that your constant interference has hindered the development of her talent," Jin said with a certain harshness in his voice. "Especially, since we have learned she created a cure for the after effects of long-term usage of Refrain."

Ruruka was stunned, but she knew it would be problematic if she spoke against the Headmaster.

"We are offering you improved facilities for your own talent in exchange for your cooperation," Jin offered.

 _So you are bribing me_ , Ruruka thought.

"I guess I accept," Ruruka said with reluctance, but a part of her was angry wondering who had pulled strings to do this.

* * *

At that moment Lelouch sneezed.

"Bless you," Makoto offered sitting across from Lelouch with a chessboard between them.

"Thanks, although that was sudden," Lelouch replied before moving his knight to claim another victory. "Anyway, checkmate."

Makoto sighed in registration, "you beat me again."

"You are showing improvement, because you aren't on the defensive as much as you were in the past," Lelouch offered sagely as Makoto approached him about wanting to learn how to play chess.

Lelouch wasn't sure what brought this sudden interest about, but he saw no reason why he shouldn't oblige Makoto and give him some advice. Not to mention it gave him more time to contemplate how he could best handle the situation with Mukuro.

"Thanks, I guess," Makoto replied modestly, but his current losing streak was discouraging a little.

"Don't worry you won't walk out this classroom a master of chess by the end of the day," Lelouch pointed out. "You have shown good adaptability, so with more experience, you'll improve."

Makoto's mood brightened at the comment, but suddenly Lelouch felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket indicated he received a text message.

Lelouch drew his cell phone halfway out of his pocket to glance at the message, which brought a smile to his face.

Looks like I'll be busy tonight avenging Sayaka's friends, Lelouch thought as he had something to look forward to.

Another matter on his mind was the whereabouts of Izuru Kamakura. Lelouch confirmed through those had under his Geass to provide information when he asked them using a code word that Izuru Kamakura was gone much to the panic of the Steering Committee who was using their resources to track him down to no avail.

 _Will he seek out Chiaki I wonder_ , Lelouch thought as he found no indication to suggest otherwise.

Lelouch finished setting the board for another game.

 _I guess I'll just have to wait and see_ , Lelouch thought within an internal shrug of his shoulders knowing there was little he could do until he heard something or some new information was presented to him.

* * *

Later that evening Chiaki was making another run to the few if only, remaining retro game store left in Area 11. A game store was too kind of a title, but in reality, the store salvaged various retro video game consoles and games from searching ruined buildings, junk piles and other locations they would've been disposed of at until the employees came along to restore them if they could. Many video games produced by Japan were scrapped and dumped at the various landfills when Japan became Area 11.

Regardless this store was an essential place for the Ultimate Gamer.

The only problem was that the store was located in the Yamanashi Ghetto, which was a dangerous place even for those who were Japanese because most of it was controlled by Britannian gangs. The lack of law enforcement and the fact they didn't care about the people who lived in the ghetto were left to the mercy of the gangsters. Being the smallest of the ghettos in the Tokyo Area didn't help matters.

"Here it is," the scruffy man behind the counter said presenting Chiaki with a well preserved and cleaned up game disc.

"You actually found a copy," Chiaki said with a sparkle in her eyes.

"We were lucky we found it in such good condition," The older Japanese man explained, "I guess the last owner was pretty serious about gaming, so it was locked inside a safe we found in a landfill."

"That's pretty serious, or he was probably a serious collector," Chiaki mused as she examined the disc.

"Well, the copy of Castlevania is all yours now."

"The Ultimate Remastered Collection," Chiaki added with stars in her eyes.

"Well be careful getting home, the streets have become a lot more dangerous lately," The shopkeeper warned.

With her bounty safely tucked away in her backpack, Chiaki began making her way home. However, she was very cautious as she kept to the shadows to avoid being spotted by the Britannian gangs that prowled the streets at night. She knew how dangerous walking around the ghetto was, so she wore casual clothing consisting of a white dress shirt, a blue skirt and a matching jacket with a hood while wearing the same backpack.

Chiaki feared that remaining dressed as a Hope's Peak Academy Student would attract more trouble more easily than her being Japanese.

 _It's kinda weird, but since yesterday I can't shake the feeling I am being watched,_ Chiaki wondered as she slipped behind some old boxes while trying to stay out of sight.

Every time she had made the journey to the Yamanashi Ghetto, Chiaki had always managed to avoid the local gangs that roamed the streets at night. Unfortunately for tonight, Chiaki would not be lucky because an accidental misstep knocked over a can caused by her nervousness at the feeling of being watched by someone.

That misstep was more than enough to alert a group of young Britannian adults dressed in the stereotypical wear of a biker gang.

"Well now we haven't seen you around before, and you look kinda hot for a piece of Eleven trash," One of the larger of the bikers with a buzzed hairstyle wearing a leather jacket with jeans and boots.

The rest of his gang snickered as they closed in on Chiaki, but before she could run for it, a familiar voice spoke from behind the biker gang members.

"How boring…"

All eyes, including Chiaki, turned before standing under a lit street lamp was Izuru Kamukura as his red eyes glared at the biker gang in front of him with a bored expression.

"Well a number who obviously can't afford a decent barber," the gang leader said drawing a switchblade knife, "be smart and get lost."

Izuru said nothing, but he responded by throwing a rock he had picked up earlier with enough force behind the throw to knock the biker gang leader out with a direct hit to the forehead. The tall muscle-bound brute fell to the ground with a resounding thud prompting his other fellow bikers to draw weapons to attack Izuru.

One used a long metal chain as a make-shift whip, another had a knife, and the last one drew a pistol from his jacket. The show of weapons did little to deter Izuru who swiftly, moving faster than the eye could track, to disarm the one armed with the chain before using his body as a shield. Then in one instant, Izuru used the chain to catch the arm of the gangster holding the gun disarming himself as well before pulling him closer to punch him in the face.

Then Izuru tossed his shield onto an abandoned car shattering its front windshield upon impact.

Realizing they were outmatched the last member, the one wielding the knife, rushed Chiaki to use her as a shield. However Chiaki began backing away at the moment the thug rushed towards her, but Izuru recognizing he would attempt such a tactic threw the gun at the back of the man's head with enough force to knock him out.

Chiaki on the other hand in her retreat slipped on an oily substance before falling back and hitting her head on the ground knocking her out.

The last thing she saw before slipping into unconsciousness was Izuru approaching her.

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater: (Bachelor Edition Killing Game Part 3)**

Junko watched the scenario presented by the simulator play out, but within the gym the following day Karen had summoned Aiko to the gym to have a private discussion with the young girl. During their conversation, Karen broke into tears worried about her mother, but Aiko failed to notice the knife Karen had stolen from the kitchen concealed on her person.

"I am sorry Aiko," Karen said drawing the knife ready to slit Aiko's throat as the girl recognized the danger too late began screaming.

"Karen please don't do this!"

"I have to," Karen replied without a hint of regret, but suddenly her eyes began to roll back as her whole body went limp.

With Karen's grip loosened Aiko quickly broke free just in time to see Karen slump to the ground dead and standing behind her was Celeste holding a bloody cleaver from the kitchen.

"Thank you, Celeste, you saved me," Aiko replied happily.

"Saved you," Celeste seemed a bit uncertain, "sure you can believe that. Regardless I knew Karen was obviously lying to you."

It wasn't long before everyone arrived in the gym, but Monokuma had also arrived on the scene applauding Celeste.

"ALRIGHT," Monokuma cheered, "we got our first murder and Celeste gets to walk out of here."

"WHAT," Aiko and everyone else exclaimed in shock.

"But she saved my life from Karen," Aiko said before it dawned on her that Celeste merely saw an opportunity and took it under the pretense of saving Aiko's life by killing Karen.

"Murder is murder," Monokuma answered dismissively, "so out you go."

Junko was a tad disappointed, but a part of her had a feeling something like this would happen. Celeste got to exit the school over the angry mutterings of those left behind from some of the students. Even though it was sure to begin the Killing Game thanks to Karen's failed attempt and Celeste having willingly killed her to escape.

"Mental note to self: do not offer First Blood Perk in the future, especially if someone like Celeste or Byakuya is among the players."

* * *

A/N: Well another chapter down and Izuru is now on the loose and has met up with Chiaki once more after a few days following his run-in with Zero.

I have to say I had a lot of trouble with that scene because initially, I was going to have C.C. involved, but then I realized it wouldn't work out as planned. Some of my original ideas for the encounter between Izuru and Lelouch didn't feel right, so I kept trying different angles until I had something that I felt worked better.

Then there was the scene with Ruruka and the headmaster which was a little tricky because I wanted to keep it within Ruruka's character and realistic even though some of my readers were hoping whatever dirt Kyoko got on Ruruka would lead to her getting kicked out. I felt the route I went with would work best and be enough of something that would prompt the school administration to get involved, although given Jin's character and his views on talent. I worked to keep that in there, but at the same time, the committee would probably insist he intervene on a matter especially if the reputation of the school is at stake.

Now on my views of pairings and why I am not likely to do a harem (even I know some were hoping for it I do feel I owe those who were an explanation), because part of the reason is Junko and the fact that anyone else who ends up sharing Lelouch's bed could end up dead or drive to despair. I worry those things could lead Lelouch to be suicidal by the end of the story on top of everything else I have planned. I had actually wanted to try my hand at a deconstruction harem for once, but as I weighed my options and took into account my future plans for events I began to reconsider involving anyone else with Lelouch beyond Junko and Mukuro.

Part of it was that even if I went ahead with some of my ideas and I decided to kill off members of the harem, but since some of those, I am considering to kill off had died in the series/games their deaths would've had much of a meaningful impact on the reader. Lelouch would be affected yes, but it probably wouldn't work out or have the effect I would like. On the other hand, I did intend for Mukuro and maybe one other to potentially serve as an anchor to help hold Lelouch together, but I don't think it would quite work out as planned.

Hence my reasoning the pairing will be Junko and Lelouch with Mukuro set up to fill the spot (if and when Junko and Lelouch fall apart) or if conditions are right, I might consider Junko sharing Lelouch with Mukuro whichever benefits the story best. However I am still on the fence about this approach, and I am very carefully weighing all of my options so I would appreciate it if I could hear your options on this and how you feel about it and what could be an alternate route I could take.

Speaking of which I have a new poll on my profile to get a reader's option of which future Lelouch and Danganronpa character pairing I should do if I do another crossover in the future after this one.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to your reviews.


	21. Chapter 21 Reprisal

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has favorite, reviewed the last chapter it is much appreciated. I was hoping to update some of my other stories before this one, but oh well. Let's get going.

I have to admit I had a bit of trouble thinking of a proper chapter for this title, but for now, I decided to settle on the one I have chosen since aside from some payback that happens people are reacting to specific events, namely being Chiaki.

I'll save everything else until the end of the chapter, but for now, enjoy.

* * *

 _"Dialog from a flashback and the person reading something in their mind"_

 _Thoughts (_ unless used to _emphasize_ a word in a sentence)

* * *

 **Chapter 21**

 **Reprisal**

"Ugh," Chiaki grunted as she struggled to reach a box of spaghetti noodles that was on the top shelf of an open cabinet that was just out of her reach.

"Chiaki, you know I can help too," A young man with short black hair with an ahoge on top called from the dining room noticing Chiaki's struggling to reach for the box.

"I can do it Hajime, I said I would make you something, and I'll make it just wait," Chiaki said with a tad hint of frustration in her voice.

Hajime Hinata sat in the dining room of Chiaki's apartment, which she lived by herself.

It was a modest apartment near the dorms of Hope's Peak Academy, and Chiaki had managed to cover the costs of living and rent thanks to a wealthy relative she had with the Six Houses of Kyoto as one of the few living family members he had left. Her parents had vanished almost four years ago, and she hadn't seen or heard from them since.

Chiaki was saddened by their disappearance, but it didn't change much since they rarely spent time with her; that led to her passion for video games. It helped her cope with the loneliness she was left to endure.

Hajime merely sighed when he heard the sound of a chair being dragged across the floor.

 _I may never win against her in a video game, but at least I got something I can hold over her,_ Hajime mused before realizing that attempt at internal humor came out terrible. _I shouldn't poke fun about something like that._

A little while later Hajime and Chiaki were sitting down together with plates of pasta between them. Chiaki was thankful Hajime was in better spirits, which was part of the reason she had invited him for dinner. Compared to events days ago, Chiaki was worried for Hajime's well-being, because his actions saved the life of one of his classmates yet condemning one to death. Chiaki hadn't expected such a harsh punishment would be dealt out to a member of the Reserve Course for attempting to murder a fellow student.

Hajime's intervention saved the life of Fuyuhiko's younger sister who would've died at the hands of a girl her fellow classmate Mahiru was friends with. Everything Chiaki had learned about the situation between Sato and Natsumi came from Hajime after convincing Hajime to reveal what had happened after finding him despondent at their usual meeting place.

It had given Chiaki an early warning to be ready for a grieving Mahiru the next time she saw her.

 _How could the academy execute Mahiru's friend by firing squad and then make Hajime watch_ , Chiaki thought.

She couldn't understand the school's reasoning for forcing Hajime to watch Sato's execution. Chiaki thought that death by firing squad for attempted murder was extreme, but making the one who prevented the murder watch seemingly implied they were punishing him as well. Still, Chiaki knew Hajime intended to stop the murder before it could happen, but from what she had learned about Sato from Hajime and Mahiru it was apparent that Sato's defensive nature hid romantic feelings that borderline obsessive. It was likely what drove Sato to murder Natsumi even through Hajime was convinced she would never follow through on her threats, which he was sure of because Hajime spoke to Natsumi seemingly talking her out from making further threats.

 _I tried to convince her that was more to life than_ _talent_ _like making memories with her brother_ , Chiaki thought internally as she remembered what Hajime told her, a lesson she passed to him Chiaki had learned from her teacher.

Chiaki couldn't confirm if the words she learned from her teacher had helped Natsumi especially since the latter was pulled out of school after the incident, but she was glad to know Hajime wasn't so fixated on talent anymore and was becoming a more positive influence especially in Natsumi's case.

"After dinner, there is a new co-op game I got," Chiaki began.

"What kind," Hajime asked after swallowing a fork full of spaghetti.

"A game where you and friends can be pirates and sails seeking treasure and raiding other pirates," Chiaki explained.

"By other pirates you mean other players right, so it's a multiplayer game?"

Chiaki nodded before she answered, "It's a shared world game that is under development, but I got beta access for both of us."

"Well, ok then," Hajime said interested.

* * *

Returning to the present Chiaki began to stir as the eighteen-year-old noticed she was lying in her own bed. As her thoughts collected themselves trying to recall the last thing that happened, but she sadly realized the dream she had was a memory of the previous night she met with Hajime.

That was roughly a year ago.

 _I remember being in the Yamanashi Ghetto before that gang and_ , Chiaki thought after regaining full awareness as her eyes were open and she was close to recalling what happened.

The question that remained was how she got back to her apartment.

Chiaki sat up in bed, but upon scanning the room, she noticed she wasn't alone. In the corner of the room sitting in a pink chair by her desk was the man with the long hair, red eyes and black suit who had intervened. Izuru Kamakura silently observed her, but despite realizing there was an intimidating man in her room, Chiaki didn't feel any sense of danger.

On the contrary, the man, who appeared to be as old as she was, seemed familiar to her.

"Did you rescue me last night," Chiaki asked.

"I did, but I don't why I did," Izuru replied with a voice Chiaki recognized.

Thanks to how well lit her room was Chiaki took a closer look at Izuru's face, although his eyes were red and his hair was much longer there was no mistake.

"Hajime," Chiaki asked as she was positive the one who had saved him was her dearest friend who vanished without a trace.

"You are the second person to call me that, but I suppose that is to be expected since I was created from Hajime Hinata," Izuru replied coldly.

"What do you mean? Are you his brother, because you look identical other than the hair and eyes," a confused Chiaki inquired.

"No," Izuru replied. "Hajime Hinata was chosen for Hope's Peak Academy Hope Cultivation Project."

"Hope Cultivation Project," The Ultimate Gamer said prompting Izuru to explain.

"A project began by the Steering Committee who sought to artificially create a being worthy of the title Ultimate Hope. No one except the founder of Hope's Peak Academy was deemed worthy of such a title," Izuru answered before elaborating further. "When no one could be found the project was begun by intending to take a talentless youth and artificially infuse the subject with every talent studied by the academy."

"Studied?"

"Aside from cultivating talent, Hope's Peak Academy observed and conducted research on talent," Izuru answered. "All of which was used towards the creation of an Ultimate Hope endowed with every talent they had researched."

"So Hajime agreed to this," Chiaki said knowing where this was heading causing a chill to travel up her spine.

She had played enough science fiction video games to suspect, coupled with everything else she had learned, to know where this was heading.

"Yes, because his body was used as material to create me."

Chiaki was horrified, but she tried to grasp _why_ Hajime would even agree to that.

* * *

Around the same time as Chiaki was learning more unsettling details about events surrounding Hajime's acceptance and transformation into Izuru Kamakura, there was another having an early morning phone call with Chisa at her apartment.

"It's bad enough the committee created a deus ex machina, but now according to Sakakura it seems their creation has somehow escaped," Munakata said on the other line.

After Chisa's successful infiltration of the Steering Committee's office and obtaining information regarding the Kamakura Project, it went without saying that Munakata was less than pleased about the existence of an experiment that seeks to artificially create an Ultimate Hope the committee could control would be an understatement. Now Chisa was learning from Munakata via Sakakura that the committee had seemingly lost their own creation.

"How is that possible?"

"The problem is that no one seems to know. At least according to what Sakakura managed to find out through bits and pieces of dialog from conversations, he overheard from the night guards," Munakata answered. "Beyond that, it seems the committee is just in the dark as we are, but it seems to have happened during the night of your mission."

Chisa considered that for a moment before a thought came to mind, "security was strangely light last night. It was almost too easy for me, which I thought was weird at the time."

"I see," the white-haired former Ultimate Student Council President said. "Then it's possible either their Ultimate Hope escaped on his own, or someone helped him. Even with all of those talents escaping and leaving no evidence behind would be difficult to accomplish for one man."

"So you think a third party is involved?"

"It's possible since we don't know who else was involved, and I have suspicions that the committee probably had help from the Viceroy himself given the cozy relationship the committee had with Clovis before his demise."

"So the problem is we don't have enough information to work with," Chisa suspected correctly.

"For now yes, but I am going to try and hurry back as soon as possible because I fear the situation will get worst. You remember what I told you when you first reported your findings to me," Munakata asked.

"Yeah I do," Chisa answered feeling uneasy.

The Kamakura Project being exposed wasn't the worst part, although it was likely they would see riots and potential violence from the Reserve Course Students when they find out their expensive tuition to attend Hope's Peak was used to cover these experiments as the worst case scenario from exposure. On the other hand, if this artificial Ultimate Hope was to become hostile, he was just a dangerous weapon of mass destruction that could bring devastation to the world, or if someone with evil intentions used him.

 _Hope would turn to despair. And it would be_ _a despair_ _that could threaten the entire world_ , Chisa internally remembered Munakata's warning if such a scenario was to happen.

"For now keep quiet and don't mention anything about our discussion or Kamakura especially with security on high alert."

"I got it," Chisa replied, but she had a feeling things were going to get more complicated somehow.

* * *

 **Later that morning...**

* * *

Chiaki had, despite the terrible truths she had learned, managed to make her way to school even though she found it hard to look at Hope's Peak Academy the same way again. Izuru had revealed everything about the Hope Cultivation Project; or preferably the Kamakura Project as it was called, including realizing that the process that granted Izuru Kamakura his vast array of talents had destroyed Hajime's personality and mind leading to Izuru Kamakura to being born to take his place.

Much like Lelouch had come to conclude, Chiaki believed this was likely intentional to make an obedient Ultimate Hope. This was the conclusion Chiaki realized, taking everything she learned from Izuru and combined it with scenarios from various science fiction and espionage video games because had Hajime's personality survived he would've been difficult to control especially if he wanted to attend Hope's Peak Academy. Participating as a new Ultimate Hope would've drawn some unwanted attention considering he was in the Reserve Course and his sudden staggering list of talents would've led to the exposure of the project.

 _I can't imagine a lot of people would've been ok with the academy able to create super geniuses_ , Chiaki thought.

Taking a deep breath, Chiaki stepped into her classroom as she pushed those thoughts aside for now. She knew drawing attention to herself, especially now that Izuru was staying in her apartment occupying a spare bedroom her apartment had. Chiaki kept as a makeshift guest room that has a bed, but nothing else since it hadn't been used.

"Hey Chiaki are you alright," Mikan timidly inquired.

"Oh," Chiaki said suddenly before answering, "I am fine I just had a rough night."

She wasn't lying, but Chiaki was fine in a physical sense yet emotionally was a different story.

Chiaki didn't know that behind her Nagito was observing her quietly.

* * *

Meanwhile, around the same time, Izuru Kamakura was sitting down in Chiaki's living room watching television. He had little else to occupy his time, but he was making a mental list of tools and equipment Izuru thought would be useful to enable him to better observe the outside world and to stay alert of any recovery teams from the academy. Even through Izuru was bored a part of him did prefer the new found freedom he had as he no longer had to deal with the scientists and their tests.

At the same time, he was perplexed by his recent actions surrounding Chiaki Nanami.

 _Why was I so accommodating to her requests?_

Izuru couldn't understand why he felt _compelled_ to stay with the Ultimate Gamer, but also answer her questions. It was confusing, but the fact he couldn't grasp his own motivations in this regard did intrigue him.

Even seeking her out on what appeared to be a whim furthered his interest to observe what other unexpected outcomes might take place.

"In other news," a female newscaster on the television began, "we have reports that authorities have found a hideout belonging to members of Ultimate Despair. Military Forces struck against the town of Hiraizumi located in the Iwate Prefecture."

The scene switched to recorded footage of an old steel mill that had obliviously been the fight of an armed conflict recently with destroyed Knightmare Frames, Glasgow and Sutherlands littering the area.

"Although Monokuma wasn't found authorities are confident that they are gaining ground in their efforts to wipe them out," the newscaster said, but Izuru wasn't convinced.

Part of the reason was that the Steel Mill in question was built before the war when Japan was trying to mass produce weapons and supplies for the looming war with Britannia or the Chinese Federation. Hiraizumi was chosen for the location of one of the new steel mills constructed, although it would be the last of such factories produced by the Kururugi Family before losing everything. After the war, the steel mills were demolished, taken over and repurposed by new owners or abandoned.

The abandoned mills were used as a hideout by terrorists.

 _Ultimate Despair no doubt established a base there as a recruitment and training area for new members to bolster their numbers_ , Izuru reasoned logically.

As illogical and chaotic as their motivations and actions were Ultimate Despair wasn't foolish and had gained control of the steel mill because of its remote location. The town itself was of very little importance, so much, so the town was effectively abandoned by the local authorities allowing crime to run rampant in that area coupled with the town left to basically fend for itself. These factors made it even easier for Ultimate Despair to operate in the area until Cornelia started pursuing terrorism more aggressively.

With this in mind, Izuru was hopeful that such a group could bring a potential complication and a level of unpredictability that could be worth observing because Izuru was finding it difficult to comprehend spreading despair as a goal. Yet their actions towards expanding their ranks and hiding who their leaders are were impressive all things considered.

 _It could be even worthwhile observing a clash between them and the Black Knights_ , Izuru thought.

If nothing else it could provide a respite from his boredom.

* * *

It was about midday in the Britannian Homeland when the Prime Minister of the Empire and its second prince Schneizel el Britannia pushed a button on his desk's intercom signaling his secretary to send in his next appointment that was going to be a special one.

The doors opened automatically as a young woman of seventeen entered. As seemingly common with all of the Emperor's children she was gorgeous with a fair skin complexion, long Spanish pink hair styled into a long ponytail with a red scrunchy and violet eyes. Her choice of attire was an elegant low-cut pink dress with red and black details with gold lining. Her dress included what seems to be white rounded wings attached to the back of her dress with red high-heels.

"I want to congratulate you on regaining your status and title 88th Princess of Britannia," Schneizel complimented before greeting his younger half-siblings. "It's good to see you again Marrybell."

"Likewise brother," Marrybell Mel Britannia greeted with a smile.

After taking her seat opposite of Schneizel before his desk, the two half-siblings quickly began their discussion with the topic being the reason Marrybell was summoned, which she knew was anything but an excuse to spend time with family. She suspected her plans to form a new unit which was a factor in Marrybell being reinstated as a Princess of Britannia following seven years after being stripped of her title following the demise of her mother and younger sister in a terrorist bombing.

Drawing a sword against the Emperor would do that after she confronted him about their deaths and the lack of action against those responsible.

"Not to sound rude brother, but I assume the real reason I am here is about the new unit I have been proposing to build isn't it?"

Schneizel smiled, "right to the point, and yes you are right. This is due to events surrounding Area 11 and Monokuma."

"The leader of Ultimate Despair?"

Schneizel nodded in response, "I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression that I don't have faith in Cornelia to bring Area 11 under control. However, given what drives Monokuma and how disturbingly successful he has been in spreading chaos I feel extra insurance is needed."

"You want my unit to be dispatched to Area 11 to assist Cornelia in dealing with Ultimate Despair, but brother you know I haven't been able to establish it yet."

"Then I ask you Marrybell what do you need?" Schneizel opened a drawer in his desk before bringing out a folder filled with documents. "I can recommend General Johann Schwarzer, a seasoned general from the Britannian Marines and has worked and commanded a variety of Special Forces units whose experience could be useful to you as a commander and someone to help you in establishing an effective combat unit."

Marrybell accepted the file, which was revealed to be Johann Schwarzer's personal record listing all of his achievements and the battles he has been in along with the units he has been part of early in his career and those he commanded later. Marrybell spent several minutes browsing through the file before closing it.

"He does possess an impressive record," Marrybell said as a seasoned veteran and commander would be useful to her given Johann's accomplishments.

"I understand you have two people already in mind, your friend Oldrin Zevon and Marika Soresi?"

"Yes, although I guess Oldrin joining my unit shouldn't be a surprise to you."

Schneizel merely chuckled, "of course, because you two knew have known each other since you were children and the fact you appointed her to be your knight only cemented her position."

Marrybell smiled in response, although she didn't comment further she was grateful that her older half-brother wasn't questioning her choice.

On the other hand, Marrybell knew there was one person Schneizel would ask about.

"However," Schneizel began, "why did you recruit Marika Soresi given the scandal surrounding her older brother?"

Marrybell knew this question was coming, but it was reasonable all considered aside from her youth, and lack of experience is another glaring issue.

"Aside from the," Marrybell said before pausing to chose her next words carefully. "Unfortunate events surrounding the death of her brother Marika has earned top grades at the Area 11 Military Academy, and was considered as a test pilot for the ASEEC's Lancelot until her family had intervened out of fear for her safety because the machine lacked an ejection block."

"That's not the only reason is it?"

"No, it isn't," Marrybell answered, "Leonhardt Steiner the next in line to lead the Steiner Family sought my help when it was revealed that Marika's brother had plotted the death of the former Knight of Ten Luciano Bradley. I despise those who collaborate with terrorists, but taking into account Sir Bradley's background I can understand his motivations and sympathize with him."

Even through Marrybell spoke respectfully her tone indicated she held a very unfavorable opinion of Luciano Bradley, which wasn't that surprising to Schneizel given how violent and confrontational Bradley was which wasn't helped by his taste in subordinates and their attire nor by the fact of how he treated them. Both Marrybell and Schneizel knew this is what probably motivated Kewell to willingly collaborate with the JLF to get Bradley killed for the sake of protecting his sister, who he apparently didn't want Marika becoming another plaything for the Vampire of Britannia.

The fact that only Bradley was answerable only to the Emperor and no one, not even other members of the royal family could reprimand him, probably forced Kewell to take drastic actions.

"I do question why father ever made him a member of the Knight of the Rounds, but at least he is gone, and no one will be shedding tears for his departure from this world."

"Agreed," Marrybell said before moving onto another subject, "but it will take time for us to form a true unit even with you providing personnel and resources."

"I know, but I feel at least we can begin laying the groundwork now," Schneizel answered before explaining. "Another reason I am asking you to head to Area 11 is because Earl Asplund who heads my personal research and development organization in Area 11 can provide you with new machines that I believe will grant you a combative edge against any terrorist organization."

"It seems my own anti-terrorist unit will be off to a good start thanks to you brother," Marrybell said with a smile seeing potential with her elder half-brother aiding her.

"Of course, but I believe your purposed unit will be a great boon to Britannia."

* * *

Later that night, back in Japan, inside the small office of a warehouse located on the Tokyo Waterfront was where the Black Knights were gathering for a raid on the primary distribution and production of Refrain in the Tokyo Area. Lelouch was reviewing a small map of the area surrounding the warehouse their target was located in.

They were just after the refrain producers and their distributors in the area, but they had discovered that the former assistant to Sayaka's manager Edward Zolgen was hiding out among the producers seemingly waiting for a chance to flee Area 11.

 _We have him cornered_ , Lelouch thought while a devious grin appeared on his face, which was concealed by his mask.

"Right," Lelouch began to address Ohgi, Mukuro, Nagito, and Kallen. "Null and I will handle the men guarding the outside premier. I'll rendezvous with the rest of you once we are finished while Null will locate our target to ensure he doesn't escape."

"Then Kallen will lead the charge in her new Glasgow while we'll follow her in providing support fire," Ohgi added.

"Exactly, we'll finish off anyone else Kallen doesn't eliminate during her initial attack," Lelouch said while casting a glance to Mukuro.

Mukuro was standing silently at attention with a sniper rifle slung over her left shoulder.

"Once we are finished we'll seize any documents we can find to identify other potential targets," Lelouch said concluding their strategy meeting regarding tonight's raid.

With nothing further to say the group concluded the meeting.

* * *

Elsewhere at same time at her apartment, Chiaki had finished cooking something for her and Hajime, or rather Izuru even though she internally insisted on calling him Hajime, but upon completing she went to fetch him from his room.

After knocking, she asked, "Uh Hajime, dinner is ready."

There was no response, so Chiaki knocked again.

"Hajime are you there?"

A few more moments of silence, so Chiaki opened the door. Chiaki was stunned to not only discover that Hajime, was thankfully still in his room, but she found the once sparsely furnished room with a desk that had a computer set up. It wasn't just any ordinary store-bought machine, although Chiaki wasn't sure what kind it was she was sure judging by the three flat-screens and the exterior design of the desktop at the base of the desk it would unquestionably put her gaming PC to shame.

 _I don't remember seeing a computer like that before in any of the electronic stores I frequent_ , Chiaki thought.

Upon conducting a more thorough survey of the room, Chiaki saw another table that had some tools including a soldering iron and what appeared to be electronic parts scattered neatly organized. Chiaki realized, and correctly assumed, that Hajime must've scavenged the parts for the computers from presumably the ghetto and possibly other locations, like a scrap yard, where such components could be found. It was likely the most logical conclusion since Chiaki couldn't imagine that Hajime could merely walk into a store, even if he somehow had the money, to purchase such a computer since Hope's Peak Academy was no doubt searching high and low for him.

 _Online ordering was likely out of the question too I suppose_ , Chiaki reasoned because she suspected that Hajime had no desire to wait for delivery.

"What is it?"

"Dinner is ready," Chiaki answered.

"I see," Izuru answered glancing at the computer screen.

Feeling he had no choice, the new operating system he wrote coupled with the driver software he created would take time to finish installing anyway.

 _Yet she still_ _insists_ _on calling me Hajime,_ Izuru thought yet surprisingly he made no attempt to correct her.

* * *

Back at the harbor area, the Black Knights minus Zero and Null were gathered, hiding in the shadows of between two neighboring warehouses with the warehouse their target was hiding in was in their line of sight.

Everyone didn't mind the wait, but Kallen noticed something odd.

"Hey Tamaki you seem eager for someone who was complaining a few nights ago about Zero's approach to bringing down Britannia," Kallen asked from atop of her Glasgow.

"Uh," Tamaki began realizing he was in a potentially compromising position.

"It's because he's a huge Sayaka fan," Yoshida answered much to Tamaki's horror.

"WHAT THE HELL!?"

"Come on man what's there to be ashamed of, and I am a fan too?"

Kallen was looking at Tamaki and Yoshida with eyes wide in shock, although Yoshida could be expected to be a Sayaka fan, Tamaki was the last person she would've expected to a fan as well.

"Why does everyone make that face when they find out I am a Sayaka fan?" Tamaki snapped in annoyance.

"Because we didn't think you would be a fan of pop music?" Naomi replied.

"So what!?"

"Calm down Tamaki," Kallen said intervening before things escalated. "I think just about everyone here is a fan of her too."

Tamaki seemed stunned by the news and nods of confirmation from the other Black Knights, including Ohgi, put the most aggressive member of their group at ease.

Thankfully a flashing light in the distance halted further discussion.

"That's the signal!" Ohgi called out upon seeing it.

"Damn those two were quick," Tamaki commented.

* * *

Inside the warehouse where various members of the drug ring were working on unboxing their stockpile from wooden crates where they were smuggled into Area 11 having been mixed in with other shipped goods to conceal them even though they had bribed the right custom agents. Hiding inside one of the offices overlooking the floor where members of the drug ring were hard at work was a middle-aged man with wavy blue hair wearing a black business suit with green eyes.

Edward Zolgen nervously watched a news report on a small table-top television, although he was confident he was safe the sooner he could depart Area 11 the better. He avoided using conventional means of escaping Area 11 out of fear he could be intercepted at the airport given how Zero was able to get to the previous Viceroy and escape.

The Black Knights successfully tracking down and dismantling their other operations as well as attacking others involved in any kind of illegal activities only worried him more so.

 _I'll go to New York and restart there, but for now…_

* * *

Suddenly the large metal shutters near the assembly line of men working to pack and ready suitcases full of their product to other places around Area 11 was suddenly brought down after a stream of bullets from assault rifles tore through the metal door. Once it fell, the Black Knights led by Tamaki entered aiming their guns at the stunned criminals.

"The Black Knights have arrived!"

With that, they opened fire gunning down most of the drug ring's members while others furthest away from the door managed to take cover while others drew their own weapons. Some wielded pistols while others had rifles of their own, but after a brief shootout, Kallen's new red Glasgow entered the warehouse gunning down those who didn't make a run for it.

As the chaos unfolded, however, Edward ran from the office to quickly escape, he hurried into the back of the warehouse where crates and more brought in by boat were stored. The remaining thugs who weren't gunned down by Kallen were being pursued by the latter in her Knightmare Frame while the others were mopping up anyone she might've missed.

Without slowing down, Kallen smashed right through the closing metal shutters into the rear section of the warehouse. The lights had been switched off, but Kallen merely switched her Knightframe's external cameras over to night vision where she saw an unexpected sight.

Ahead of her were ordinary civilians, Japanese civilians, wearing everyday attire wandering around the warehouse in front of her in a Refrain induced trance, completely lost in their more pleasant memories unaware of the world around them.

It was tragic to watch, to say the least.

Feeling a righteous fury surge through her body, Kallen began searching for the remaining members of the Drug Ring determined to make them pay for spreading such poison among the populace knowing the kind of damage the price of drowning in pleasant memories would ultimately bring.

 _Are they trying to hide amongst them?_

Suddenly a voice drew Kallen's attention.

"Please don't play so rough with your little sister Naoto!"

 _What?!_

Looking down at her left Kallen saw the last person she had expected to see tonight dressed in a white dress shirt with a light green dress and a pink sweat jacket. She had long brown hair tied into a long ponytail with blue eyes. Kallen was stunned upon looking at her realizing there was no mistaking it, it was her mother in a Refrain induced trance.

Upon tripping on something on the ground the older woman nearly fell over and hit her face on the ground, but Kallen quickly grabbed her with the hands of her machine yet mindful of handling her gently.

"Seriously Naoto you need to be more careful, and play nice with Kallen."

Kallen turned her eyes away from the screen in disgust, "my god, how weak of a woman are you? First, you give into Britannia, a man and now this! My brother is gone forever, let him go!"

Suddenly heavy gunfire shot off her machine's right arm prompting Kallen to turn her head to see an LE-E106 Knightpolice, a modified Glasgow for usage by the police department. Its machine pistol had been responsible for destroying the arm of Kallen's Glasgow, but before it could open fire again, the red machine sped off deeper into the warehouse using the towering shelves full of merchandise and crates as shields.

Unfortunately, although Kallen managed to stay ahead of the Knightpolice Unit at first, it was quickly hot on her heels. Even attempting to use the anti-personal gun mounted on the chest of her machine was ineffective against the enemy machine, which the police unit merely shot off with its machine pistol.

Near the broken entrance leading into that section of the warehouse the rest of the Black Knights, minus Null, were gathered with Zero.

"A police unit," Minami said in surprise seeing Kallen's unit engaged in a game of cat and mouse prompting Ohgi to cast an angry glare at Tamaki.

"You were supposed to check if the police were possibility tied to this Tamaki!?"

"Hey," Tamaki replied with his hands up defensively, "when I checked there were no cops involved."

"Corrupted Filth," Zero said not trying to hide his disgust, but he recognized this was a potential problem yet he couldn't understand why Kallen was unable to defeat her foe since her skills would've made such a fight easy.

"Damn it," Kallen's voice echoed through the external speaker of her Knightmare Frame, "I don't want you, I don't need you!"

 _What?!_

Lelouch was confused, but it seemed there was an unforeseen complication that was preventing Kallen from fighting back.

 _Has Nagito's luck rebounded on me without realizing it?_

Regardless of how this situation came about Kallen was in danger, and it only got worse when the Knightpolice unit shot one of the leg motors of the Glasgow causing it fall onto the ground immobilized from the waist down. Thankfully the upper torso of Kallen's machine was well armored enough that the machine pistol of the Knightpolice couldn't pierce it, but it only needed to draw its knife to finish the job by stabbing her cockpit.

Despite the danger, Kallen turned her attention to her mother who didn't suffer any injuries, but she was still in her trance.

"Run," Kallen began yet her mother merely rose up to her knees to look up at Kallen's Glasgow completely unaware of the danger her daughter was in. "RUN YOU IDIOT, GET MOVING!"

"I am here for you Kallen."

"Huh?!"

"I am here for you like I have always have been?"

Kallen was stunned as the realization hit her.

"Is that why you stayed in his house? You stayed there for me?" Kallen said as a wave of regret flooded her mind as she had always been rude and dismissive of her biological mother. Her mistakes and the accidents she had while serving as a maid in the Stadtfeld Mansion earned her the ridicule of her stepmother and further scorn from Kallen. "YOU FOOL!"

Despite this Kallen quickly blocked the Knightpolice Unit from stabbing her cockpit with its knife in time using her machine's only working limb, the left arm.

"Or maybe I am the fool!"

Quickly using her slash harkens, Kallen managed to catch the Knightpolice Unit while her anchors embedded themselves into a wall under a metal shelf on the far side of the room. The metal shelf was thick and sturdy enough to withstand the impact of the Knightpolice's cockpit being smashed upon contact killing the pilot while Kallen's cockpit block was undamaged sliding into the empty shelf below where crates would've customarily been stacked.

"KALLEN!" Ohgi cried out as everyone, except Zero and Nagito, hurried to the wrecked Glasgow to help Kallen.

"I'm so happy for you. You can finally become a Britannian now, Kallen. Nobody will ever be able to hurt you now, darling. And you're free to travel and use the phone any time you want." Kallen's mother said to herself, still unaware of what had been happening around her, while Lelouch and Nagito observed.

"So this is Kallen's mother," Nagito said stating the obvious.

"I think her name was Yuri Kozuki," Null said approaching the two with a bound and gagged Edward in her custody. "I had looked into the members of Ohgi's group before Zero, and I approached them as a precaution. Legally she was known as Kallen Stadtfeld, but was born Kallen Kozuki to Lord Stadtfeld's lover Yuri, and was adopted when his new wife couldn't bear children."

"I remember that bit from Monokuma's first Killing Game, so the mother lived in the house as a maid to be with her daughter," Nagito commented piecing together the rest.

"The abuse and mistreatment she must have received from the other maids and Kallen's stepmother must have pushed her into Refrain as a means of coping," Lelouch noted. Although he was curious how Mukuro knew that when he didn't really do much of a background check on Ohgi and the others besides what Lelouch learned from Kallen while under his Geass.

 _Was it something Junko asked her to do?_

Pushing the thought aside for now until later Lelouch decided to address the matter before him as the Black Knights still had a job to do, and while Ohgi and the others were busy with Kallen he gestured to Mukuro silently to hold the tied up Edward in a way that would give him a clear view of his eyes.

"Nagito, ask Ohgi to help you with Miss Kozuki while I wrap up things here."

"Sure thing," Nagito replied while Kallen could be heard running to her mother.

"Now you are going to answer all of my questions," Lelouch asked activating his Geass as the slide over his left eye moved to reveal it upon turning his attention to Mr. Zolgen.

Lelouch felt there was potentially some useful information he could squeeze out of him first before giving him what he deserves.

* * *

Around the same time in another corner of Area 11, the Warriors of Hope were spearheading an attack on a Britannian Military base near the town of Takahama located along the coast of the Ōi District of the Fukui Prefecture. They were piloting the same machines as they were in Shinjuku Ghetto, but following some improvements and tune-ups using the combat data from their engagements with the Lancelot the child pilots behind the machines were making short work of the base's defenders.

This was complicated by the fact that the Warriors of Hope were being aided by mass-produced Knightmare Frames created for Ultimate Despair. If the Burai used by the JLF were considered modified knockoffs of the Glasgow, so the UDK-01M Onikuma was modeled after the Sutherland. However, unlike the Burai, which besides some cosmetic differences was only upgraded with small shield-like bracers on the hands that allow the Burai to better defend against direct melee attacks, the Onikuma included performance upgrades and replaced the forearm equipped stun-tonfa with unfoldable blades that could be extended to act as formidable melee weapons.

Its performance put it firmly on par with the RPI-209 Gloucester, which used its own set of weapons but it could make use of the same weapons other Knightmare Frames could use. Its standard armaments included a mounted anti-personnel gun upon its chest, the blades within its forearms, chaos mines on its waist and lastly each one had a Sakuradite bomb to be used in suicide attacks if the unit was crippled or if the pilot was killed.

Its optional armaments included a halberd with curved blades for gutting an enemy Knightmare Frame, an assault rifle with a flamethrower attachment, and a long-range anti-Knightmare Frame sniper rifle.

"Wow watch those hangers and people burn," Jataro said with demented glee as he had just bombed those hangers with a barrage of missiles.

Suddenly Kotoko, in her ax-wielding Knightmare Frame, cleaved a Sutherland in half that had been aiming its rifle at Jataro's machine.

"Instead of watching demons burn you should focus on the ones trying to kill you," Kotoko scolded.

"Both of you should hurry because we don't have long before reinforcements are dispatched," Nagisa interrupted scolding both of his fellow warriors.

Unlike his fellow Warriors of Hope, Nagisa was using the sniper rifle of his own personal Knightmare Frame to shoot down the fighter jets and VTOL gunships that had either gotten into the air during the attack or had arrived from another base to help them.

Regardless they were swiftly shot down before they could attack Nagisa's friends having effectively covered the skies.

Masaru, in his newly constructed The Type-H011 Gloucester Drill Offensive Prototype, a more lightly armored yet faster version of his previous machine that was more focused on speed and high offensive power at the cost of less armor. Distinctly bitter over his defeat at the hands of the Lancelot, Masaru savagely tore into the demons and their Sutherlands. He wasn't really acting akin to a berserker, but it was clear that his fighting style had become more savage and ruthless as a silent oath to never suffer another defeat.

To him, as the hero, the hero always wins.

"I'll never lose again, I am the leader and the hero, and I'll tear that white demon apart next time," Masaru said to himself as he impaled a Sutherland cockpit with one of his machine's drills.

* * *

Watching the destruction of the base with a pleased smile and a large sundae next to her was Monaca observing the battle through the dozen monitors set up before her. Monaca's new mass production model Knightmare Frames were performing well during their first combat debut. Watching the attack on the base through Monokuma, who was standing behind her, was Junko Enoshima who was inside the control room below Ashford Academy.

"How wonderful those new Onikuma units are performing better than you told me they would, and I love how they share my likeness," Monokuma said with a charming smile while being cute at the same time.

"I am happy you love them, Big Sis," Monaca began before quickly correcting herself, "I mean Mr. Monokuma."

"No worries, but I am looking forward to how Cornelia is going to react just when the news stations announced what was supposed to be a meaningful victory," Monokuma commented before he burst out laughing, "Upupupu!"

"By the way, thanks to Lady Sumeragi supporting me those old goats will be giving Zero the Guren Mk-II," Monaca reported with a smile.

"Oh, that's good news."

"And I managed to squeeze in the Black Knights getting a few Burai units and one of the Guren Type-01," Monaca revealed.

The Guren-Mk II was the crown jewel and the achievement of Kyoto House as being the first true Japanese Knightmare Frame, but before it was the Guren Type-01 which served as the base from which the Guren-Mk II was built from. Unlike the Guren-Mk II, however, there were several units of the Guren Type-01 that was used for various field tests with the resulting combat data was used to develop the Guren-Mk II.

"Very nice, good job Monaca. I bet those old farts were pissed weren't they?"

"Only the more stubborn of the lot were," Monaca replied with a dismissive hand gesture, "but as I said, Lady Sumeragi siding with me made the difference."

"Very good," Monokuma said before realizing something, "I got to go Monaca, but have the Warriors of Hope finish up and then get out of there before Cornelia, and her troops come flying in."

"Sure thing!"

* * *

With that Junko Enoshima switched control from the Monokuma that had been present with Monaca to another Monokuma in another corner of the world, which wasn't anywhere in Japan but in Britannia. Her night had been surprisingly quite busy, but she had so many plans and so much left to do before everything was just right for the next Killing Game.

Activating the Monokuma, Junko was prepared to speak to one of her oldest and first allies who became a founder of Ultimate Despair shortly after her father introduced him to her. Junko's father had previously hired him to track down Junko and Mukuro for him, but in time he became, her ally and thanks to her father became a spy for her after he was adopted by a well-connected Britannian noble family.

Across the world, in a very spacious and sizable mansion near Pendragon, the Monokuma activated as its red eye lit up. It was sitting before a white table where tea and snacks had been prepared, and sitting across from Monokuma was his host and spy within Britannia. Shockingly he wasn't a pure-blooded Britannia, but a Japanese man with Honorary Status. He was in his early twenties with long light indigo hair tied into a ponytail and green eyes wearing a crisp white suit trimmed with gold and red.

The two weren't alone, because standing at attention by the door leading into the small reception room was a young woman, a Britannian, with orange hair and purple eyes dressed in a purple and gold trimmed uniform with a sword dangling from the sheath on her hip.

"Its been while Knight of Ten," Monokuma said addressing the man who was appointed as the new Knight of Ten, and had quickly become much more likable than the last one who held the title.

"It was thanks to you Monokuma I replaced that fool Bradley," Shin Hyuga Shaing replied raising a cup of tea in a toast before drinking it.

"It was your information that helped me nab the vampire and ultimately bring about his death. No one ever figured out that you had provided me with the info to learn about his mission, which I then made sure certain people found out about it," Monokuma replied while Junko was smiling deviously behind the controls.

Shin Hyuga Shaing, was the sole survivor after his entire family had been killed in a mass murder-suicide according to what Junko knew and was hired by her father to find Mukuro and herself after Japan became Area 11. Shin was working odd jobs including some questionable ones, but after being reunited with her father, Shin was adopted into the Shaing Noble Family through the connections Junko's father possessed. However Shin loyal to Junko and her father was intended to become a spy, but like Lelouch, the young woman noticed he was filled with despair.

After some probing Junko found someone who wanted to see the world in chaos and was among those who would become a founder of Ultimate Despair and Junko's inside man within the Britannian Military. Despite having faced considerable prejudice, a combination of his combat skills and tactical prowess along with the connections of his new adoptive mother and Junko's father assured his rise through the ranks.

Strangely enough, it seems those who impeded Shin's rise through the ranks had seemingly met an untimely end through unusual circumstances.

 _Now that I think about it, could he have something similar to what Lelouch has? Considering some of the strange happenings and that murder-suicide his family was part of?_

Junko shoved that thought aside from now, but the aim was always to install him among the Knights of the Round, but the one member who would become a problem was the current Knight of Ten, the Vampire of Britannia. Bradley's mission to Area 11 and the fact he had taken a fancy to Marika Soresi who had a brother who was a high ranking member of the Purist Faction provided an opportunity to eliminate him while placing the blame for events that led to his demise on someone else.

Most importantly it cleared the way for Shin to ascend into the ranks of the Knights of the Round.

"Indeed and it seems your actions have gathered more attention," Shin began with a twisted smile, "I have some information you might be interested in."

"I am all ears," Monokuma replied.

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater: (Bachelor Edition Killing Game Part 4)**

A few days after Celeste got to walk away following her successful murder everyone was on edge and with the knowledge that someone could die coupled with Celeste's actions left everyone very cautious around one another. Sayaka and Seiko were among the most fearful and had spent most of their time in their rooms coming out only when they needed food and nothing else.

Natsumi didn't seem affected much by these events, and neither did Kirumi yet both had their own way of expressing it.

Everyone else tried to carry on as usual, but it was clear that it was impossible for everyone to trust one another.

"Now let's see if we can't heighten the paranoia and distrust a little with an old classic," Junko said entering in commands into the simulator.

Suddenly Monokuma appeared inside the gym summoning everyone for a special announcement. It didn't take long, although there were some stragglers. Regardless of the order or haste, they came everyone filed into the gym for Monokuma's announcement as he stood upon the stage.

"Good morning everyone, I got presents for all of you since I am so happy with the murder we had a couple days ago."

Monokuma's good mood faded.

"But I am beginning to get bored so its time for me to provide some motivation to ensure we get our next murder soon."

"NO ONE ELSE IS GOING TO KILL ONE ANOTHER!" Kotomi snapped defiantly.

"Oh please like we haven't heard that line before," Monokuma mocked with a dismissive gesture.

"We're serious," Mahiru said joining Kotomi in defying Monokuma, "no one will be pushed into killing one another."

"Hold that thought," Monokuma said before using a remote to summon an electronic cart driven by remote that brought a tray filled with envelopes holding a compact disc marked. "You'll find there is a disc for each of you and I encourage you to view their contents using the media lab down the hall from the gym."

"What kind of fucking game are you playing at now!" Natsumi shouted.

Monokuma merely laughed, "If you want details then I want to see a successful murder where a killer gets away with it. The rest is pretty self-explanatory."

With those words, Monokuma vanished while Junko was left wondering who would crack first and murder someone.

* * *

A/N: All things considered Shin Hyuga Shaing would fit right in with Ultimate Despair given his goals and mental state seen in Code Geass Aikto of the Exile. Furthermore, we don't really know for sure how he got where he was after events surrounding him and his brother, and given the trouble, Suzaku had in the Britannian Military I don't see how Shin could've gotten where he was without some substantial help. Hence my decision to make him a member of Ultimate Despair and a follower of Junko and his introduction now was done in preparation for when he becomes more active in the story especially if the story shifts to the EU.

The same thing for Marrybell Mel Britannia from Code Geass Oz of the Reflection, and she'll be more involved with her anti-terrorist organization getting something of an early startup because of Monokuma, but its part of a larger plan I have in mind.

I hope my flashback scene involving Hajime and Chiaki worked out, and I did throw in some light-hearted teasing and I wasn't trying to be mean to her of course. Afterall given the teasing I have done to other characters it was only fair Chiaki gets a little too.

The man who had done so many horrible things to Sayaka's friends have finally been dealt with, which is likely to cause some reactions later on following that.

As that is happening the Warriors of Hope return attacking a military base while testing out Ultimate Despair's new limited edition mass-produced Knightmare Frames the Onikuma, which I named for the demon bears that steal horses which I felt worked better than the original machine name I had in mind. Perhaps I might name future UD machines after something associated with bears in myths or something like that.

As for those hoping for some Mukuro and Lelouch moments, I'll have something for you guys soon, especially as we inch closer to Narita.

Just be patient, all good things come in good time. Of course, there is the matter of Junko, so something to remember.

Thank you in advance for your reviews, and I'll see about getting another chapter out soon.


	22. Chapter 22 Protectors

A/N: I apologize for the unexpected delay in updates for this story, and first off a very belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Rest assured this story still has my attention I just was caught off guard by how caught up I was with my Fate/Grand Order and Code Geass crossover.

However on the flip side that gave me time to mull over ideas and plans I made to refine them, my decisions about certain plans for later in the story with draconichero21 only "enriched" specific ideas. Considering the way he has done certain things (and how upcoming events will play out) in his own Danganronpa crossover might be some cause for worry for some characters.

*Puts on Monokuma T-shirt and wears Junko's Ultimate Despair tie (both Christmas gifts)*

But enough of that…now that I am properly in the zone…let's get into the chapter, shall we?

* * *

 **Chapter 22**

 **Protectors**

Five days later word had spread that Edward Zolgen had been found dead among members of a notorious drug ring chiefly responsible for the sell of Refrain, but this was almost overshadowed by the news that Ultimate Despair, in an apparent act of retaliation, destroyed a military base near the town of Takahama.

This was not something Cornelia wanted to hear especially when information about new Knightmare Frames that outperformed their Sutherlands was alarming, to say the least, included with that report. Meeting privately with her most trusted subordinates inside her office along with her sister Euphy present to discuss their next course of action.

 _Every single one of them incompetent_ , Cornelia thought angrily while maintaining a calm expression.

The four had spent a long morning in meetings with the heads of military and intelligence. Had it been within Cornelia's power she would've had all of them arrested and locked away for incompetence. Her mood only worsened upon recalling that these were the people deemed competent and capable enough compared to the hundred civil and military officers Cornelia had removed because of their usage of bribes and blood relations coupled with the fact they were utterly incompetent.

"We must deal with Ultimate Despair," Cornelia said, although she would've preferred dealing with them once she dealt with other terrorist groups aware of the fact they would be the most difficult given they had not more members, but far more considerable resources at their disposal.

However, their retaliation on a military base using new machines that outperformed their mainstay Knightmare Frame, the Sutherland, made it clear that Cornelia couldn't risk ignoring them for much longer.

 _But if we focus our attention on Ultimate_ _Despair,_ _then that could allow the JLF time to recover,_ _and_ _the Black Knights time to grow_ , Cornelia reasoned internally.

It was apparent that Ultimate Despair was the most significant threat, but Cornelia understood the dangers of focusing her attention on one group while ignoring the other two. She couldn't predict how much time, resources and men would have to be committed to finding and destroying Ultimate Despair, which was confounded by how little they knew about the organization, its structure and who their leaders, besides Monokuma, were.

It didn't help Cornelia that most of the intelligence officers she had under her command from the time Clovis was Viceroy were virtually useless, although working to tirelessly replace them, the agents loaned to her from the Homeland were the only ones she could count.

Seemingly aware of the difficulties Cornelia was facing Dalton stepped forward.

"I may have some good news and an opportunity," Dalton offered opening up a small folder he had been carrying. "The intelligence agents loaned to us from the Homeland have confirmed the location of the headquarters of the Japan Liberation Front."

"Where are they?"

"In the Narita Mountains," Dalton answered before handing the folding containing additional information to Cornelia. "This has the details and estimates of the forces they have gathered and possible locations of their base since they weren't able to determine their headquarters exact location. Yet they have confirmed beyond a doubt they are hiding in those mountains."

Cornelia took a moment to study the folder's contents. More than five minutes would pass before Cornelia would place the folder upon the table at which point she addressed Dalton.

"Gather Alex and the others," Cornelia began, "we'll hit the JLF hard and fast so we can wipe them out in one fell swoop. Then we can focus more of our attention on Ultimate Despair and then the Black Knights."

"Yes Princess Cornelia," Dalton replied with a crisp salute.

"If we can not only crush the JLF now we could obtain useful intelligence from them and their leaders that could give us the edge we need to deal with Ultimate Despair and the Black Knights," Cornelia with a small smirk on her face.

In a best-case scenario if Cornelia could capture their leadership and their base intact to seize whatever documents and files they had would greatly aid Cornelia's efforts in wiping out terrorism in Area 11. Part of it was rumored that the NAC, led by former Japanese industrialists, we're providing funding and weapons to Area 11's terrorist groups. Such actions wouldn't shock her as Cornelia doubted those industrialists were pleased with the loss of their previous prestige and power despite as leaders of the NAC they were afforded the most power an Honorary Britannian could receive.

Despite her suspicions, Cornelia had no evidence of any wrongdoing, and her efforts to pursue them more aggressively were prevented by the prime minister and other officials due to her lack of evidence. The excuse they offered was suppressing them would lead to the collapse of the Elevens' economy thus no taxes to send back to the Homeland, which to Cornelia meant to money to fill their pockets. The only thing that stopped her was causing fiasco similar to the one surrounding Suzaku Kururugi, especially on the slim, if highly unlikely, chance the NAC was innocent.

Furthermore, such a repeat of that disaster could destroy any chance Cornelia could have of restoring faith in the colonial government of Area 11, which could only complicate her efforts to bring Area 11 under their complete control.

"I'll be traveling to the Homeland tomorrow to appeal to my father for additional troops. As well as replacements for certain positions within our administration follow their dismissal," Cornelia explained before adding. "In the meantime, I want preparations for our attack on Narita to be underway."

"What is the plan, your highness?" Guildford inquired, although he had a good idea what Cornelia had in mind.

"Aside from wiping out the JLF, I wish to capture as much of their leadership alive as possible along with seizing any evidence from their base before they have a chance to destroy it," Cornelia explained. "To do that we'll need a considerable number of troops and Knightmare Frames to surround the Narita Mountains."

"We'll need to rapidly deploy them as well," Dalton said recognizing what Cornelia was planning.

What Cornelia had in mind was bringing in not only a massive force that wouldn't encircle the Narita Mountains, but they could quickly close the noose around the JLF and crush all resistance allowing the opportunity to not only capture their leaders but seize any useful evidence, both electronically and physical files, before the JLF could destroy them.

Of course, that was the best case scenario, but the encirclement would also ensure that no one could escape the noose she would create and close as the battle proceeded until it was over.

If Cornelia were successful in not only crushing the JLF but if she could get extra information from them about who was supplying them with their funding and weapons would give her the means to shut it down. If the ones responsible turned out to be those of the Kyoto Group, then many terrorist organizations would lose their means of gaining new supplies, funds, and weapons that would significantly accelerate her plans to pacify Area 11. If the JLF even had intelligence on Ultimate Despair that could be of use then even better, although Cornelia wasn't expecting the group to have that much, however…

 _Being a terrorist organization there is a chance they could have information we don't, and considering what happened to Kusakabe I can't imagine the JLF had any intention of allowing Ultimate Despair to go unpunished,_ Cornelia reasoned internally, but regardless she was hopeful at the prospect.

"Launching such an attack will require some considerable preparation that could take more than a week, especially if we want to ensure we can catch the JLF off guard," Guildford noted.

"Yes and I would like Alex and Dalton to oversee all necessary preparations for our attack, but we'll discuss the more in detail once Alex and the others arrive," Cornelia said before asking. "Before we adjoin for the time being was there anything else?"

"Actually Princess Cornelia if I might suggest there is a matter regarding Princess Euphemia we should address," Guildford said as he readied a binder he had prepared for this moment.

"Huh," Euphy said slightly surprised.

"Go on," Cornelia offered with gesturing for Guildford to continue.

"I know this is a delicate matter, but in light of events surrounding Monokuma and the Black Knights, I do feel, with all due respect, that Princess Euphemia should appoint a Knight."

Euphy was surprised by the suggestion as was her older sister.

"A knight," Euphy asked which Guilford confirmed by nodding his head.

"By appointing a knight, we can organize a royal guard around him or her. As a member of the royal family Sub-Viceroy Euphemia, you already have that entitlement.

"I see," Cornelia said while her expression was of one in deep thought.

"Cornelia," Euphy asked uncertainly of how to respond.

Cornelia noticed her sister's gaze before turning to smile at her softly, "it's something that is necessary Euphy."

"But…"

Euphy's elder sister raised her hand politely interrupting her, "I am not going to force the issue. It is our entitlement as members of the royal family to choose a knight. Only you can decide if you wish to make use of that entitlement, however…"

Euphy silently listened as her sister paused to give her next words some careful thought.

"Personally, I would be relieved if there was someone who had the same wishes as me by your side so please remember that."

Yet Cornelia didn't recognize it that for Euphy to choose a knight, it would mean replacing Cornelia who had always protected her with someone else, but she wondered what kind of person her chosen knight should be?

* * *

Later that afternoon Lelouch as Zero was observing Kallen and Mukuro training to use their new machines. The Black Knights were occupying an old underground shelter within the Shinjuku Ghetto, which served as a suitable secondary base useful for training the new recruits. Mukuro and Kallen were inside simulation pods, pods designed for training Knightmare Frame pilots, connected to their new machines enabling them to learn how to pilot the machines. Although they could've taken them out into the ghetto, Lelouch was worried they would draw too much attention and chose using simulators as both a safer alternative and one that wouldn't attract attention.

Simulation Pods were used by not only the military but the police academy as well for their Knightpolice Units, so obtaining some off the black market or even stealing them from storage warehouses made them relatively easy to get. Regardless, and at the same time, fortunately, the two new machines because their unusual cockpit and controls were radically different from most Knightmare Frames, so Simulation Pods modeled after the new cockpit controls were provided for training.

Regardless Lelouch knew the performance of the new machines were well beyond what the even the Sutherlands were capable of, which both intrigued and brought a smile to Lelouch's face.

 _These machines will be_ _very handy_ _,_ Lelouch thought as he smiled underneath his mask.

Kallen was chosen for the pilot of the Type-02 Guren or preferably called the Guren Mk II, which was a marvel from an engineering standpoint. Even though he had yet to see the machine in combat, but from reading the manual, Lelouch realized its performance was well beyond any other machine he had seen except for the Lancelot. Its trump card, the Radiation Wave Unit built into its right arm, was a potent weapon that could make the Guren Mk II with the right pilot a force to be reckoned with.

Of course, no one could forget Mukuro, whose own skills with a Knightmare Frame seemed to be on par with Kallen's. Lelouch considered giving the Guren-Mk II to Mukuro but was talked out of it by Mukuro herself.

* * *

" _Lelouch, may I suggest giving the Guren-Mk II to Kallen?"_

" _May I ask why?"_

" _Kallen skills indicate her being more of a close ranged fighter which fits the combat design and weapons of the Guren-Mk II. I am more well rounded,_ _and_ _I prefer a machine that can I customize for specific combat roles."_

* * *

Lelouch decided against arguing with Mukuro and conceded to her suggestion, which Lelouch thought was fair because he failed to account for the possibility of a corrupt police officer and his Knightpolice Unit being there that cost Kallen her new Glasgow.

Still the Guren-Mk I, despite being the predecessor of the Mk II, was virtually identical to the Guren-Mk II in everywhere way with the sole exception of lacking the claw-like Radiant Wave Surger possessing a regular arm instead. However, as a tradeoff, it could use a wider range of preexisting Knightmare Frame weapons and could be further customized by the pilot.

 _We'll need something to give them an opportunity to test them under combat conditions, but what?_

Granted Lelouch could unleash them during another raid, but while he had no doubt they would be useful he was concerned if Britannia learned about the new machines it would likely prompt the authorities to hunt them more aggressively because they have Knightmare Frames more advanced than any other group.

 _I'll have to find a situation where we could test them, but leave no witnesses or save them for a more critical operation_ , Lelouch thought.

Meanwhile, Nagito approached Lelouch as he was in deep thought.

"Hey Zero do you have a moment," the Ultimate Lucky Student called.

"Is there something I can help you with Nagito?"

"Yes," Nagito replied before adding, "but mind if we talk in private?"

Lelouch was suspicious, wondering what Nagito wanted to talk about.

Sensing his uncertainty, Nagito moved in closer to whisper, "Its a few things that should stay behind closed doors, Ultimate Strategist."

Under his mask, Lelouch's eyes went wide in shock while trying to grasp how Nagito deduced his true identity.

"Very well," Lelouch answered calmly before gesturing for Nagito to follow him.

The two reached Lelouch's office on the second floor of their mobile base. Once inside Lelouch locked the door behind them ensuring that no one could walk in on them.

"You know you shouldn't have mentioned Chiaki. As beloved and cherished she is by our class she never once mentioned Hajime to us, so more than likely only a select few were made aware of that. Beyond our teacher, I can't think of anyone else but one person who could've known that" Nagito pointed out sensing Lelouch's hesitation and intent of diverting suspicion away from him. "And it's nothing something the administrations of Hope's Peak would keep a record of if they did go through the trouble of covering up Hajime Hinata's involvement in the project."

Lelouch sighed internally, but it seemed that Nagito was trying to beat down any attempt of his to refute his claims. On the other hand, Lelouch reasoned that if perhaps this could work to his favor even though it could be possible for him to devise an intelligent counter to Nagito's claims.

 _Perhaps this is just my stroke of bad luck…_

He hesitated at first about removing his mask, but after carefully weighing his options Lelouch removed his masked.

"You know I could've come up with a way to redirect suspicion, but this might work out better if someone else who attends Hope's Peak knows who I am," Lelouch admitted although for his own pride he did make it clear he could've devised a plausible counter.

"Maybe, but there was another fact that gave you away. Mukuro," Nagito replied with a smile. "How many people would possess the level of combat ability she has especially given how well she handled herself against armed and experienced members of Area 11's criminal underbelly?"

Lelouch was surprised by this, but he kept his expression neutral to hide it.

Nagito merely laughed at this, "oh relax, but if it is any consolation trying to deduce your identity would've been possible without your friendship with Chiaki, and you knew something that she didn't share with any of her own classmates."

Lelouch merely smirked, "well I suppose that business with Izuru was a huge risk, but I suppose this is acceptable as long as he is out of Britannian hands at least."

"After seeing what Izuru Kamakura was capable of, I can see why you wanted to address the danger he could pose before he could be unleashed against you."

Even through Nagito found the idea of creating artificial hope blasphemous for one such as he who believed in hope so firmly, but Nagito couldn't deny how formidable Izuru's integrated collection of talents made him. This merely convinced him that Lelouch made a wise choice in intervening, although it would've been far more beneficial if Lelouch recruited Izuru to their cause yet having him out of reach of enemy parties who would've used him was an acceptable outcome.

"I am not sure if setting him on the loose like that would benefit me in the long run or not," Lelouch admitted because he had no way to monitor Izuru's movements.

"Well, he did go to Chiaki because there was a sudden and unexplained shift in her compared to how she normally acts," Nagito said reminding Lelouch of a likely indicator of Chiaki and Izuru meeting.

"Yes, that is true, although her mood following their reunion is to be expected given what she likely learned."

Lelouch felt slightly guilty over setting up Chiaki learning about what became of her friend, which likely changed how she would see Hope's Peak Academy from now on.

"So what are your plans?" Nagito thought deciding to change the subject.

"Aside from expanding our ranks and gathering more resources, but with our numbers growing we'll need to select leaders to help with our expansion and create bases in different regions of Japan," Lelouch explained.

"Of course," Nagito said in agreement folding both arms over his chest, "But were you planning on recruiting Ultimates into the Black Knights?"

"Yes, although it's not so much about finding those with the right talents that could help further our goals," Lelouch answered. "It's finding those who would be willing to join our cause."

"That is true," Nagito said, although a part of him believed that if the Ultimate Students of Hope's Peak Academy believed in hope, they should join the Black Knights. Of course, Nagito knew that wasn't true for most of the students because of their varied motivations.

Some enjoyed the privileges and promises of a more comfortable lifestyle upon graduating, but others were motivated because it meant a possible escape from discrimination which has driven many Japanese to Refrain or even worse joining Ultimate Despair. Just as the possibility of some Ultimate-level students willing to help their rebellion there was the possibility that there were those who were loyal to Britannia or some more likely to sell them out for their own benefit.

It was a problematic issue that annoyed Nagito, but logically neither he nor Lelouch could deny it.

"However we can perhaps begin screening for potential recruits because we need not only leaders but specialists," Lelouch said before explaining. "Now that we have two high-performance machines we'll need someone not only skilled at maintaining such a machine but who could understand a pilot's concerns."

"Right especially since Tamaki and others aren't trained mechanics, and what they know came from self-teaching," Nagito said nodding his head in agreement.

The new machines weren't like the Glasgows they have tinkered, and we're going to require more specialized maintenance and care to keep them performing at their best. Lelouch did try to inquire to the messenger from Kyoto about anyone who could be sent to them to help with the new Knightmare Frames' upkeep, but sadly he had no information.

 _They want us to prove ourselves by making effective use of those new machines_ _first_ , Lelouch reasoned internally.

It was a logical conclusion since the Black Knights have only proven effective in small-scale engagements and their only major operations have been in Shinjuku Ghetto, the rescue of Suzaku Kururugi and the incident at Lake Kawaguchi Hotel their only big successes so far.

 _This is our trial period to prove if we are worth any further support_ , Lelouch thought.

* * *

The following afternoon, with Cornelia preparing to visit the Britannian Homeland for official business, Euphemia in the company of Dalton was conducting a tour of the Clovis Memorial Museum. The Museum was being dedicated in the memory of Clovis who was well known by many as a patron of the fine arts, especially being a surprisingly talented artist himself.

Originally the dedication was going to happen sometime next month, but plans were in motion for a soft opening and dedication ceremony with Sub-Viceroy Euphemia as a special guest.

Many were concerned the event would become a target for terrorists, especially Ultimate Despair given Euphemia's face-to-face encounter with Monokuma. Naturally, Dalton brought in his best men and had more stationed nearby as reserves just in case, but as an extra precaution given the existence and capabilities of Monokuma's Monobeasts Dalton had the Lancelot sand its pilot on standby fully aware the Lancelot possessed combat performance superior to their current machines.

He knew Cornelia wouldn't approve of such a move, but he was willing to bear her displeasure for Euphy's safety.

"These are the works that have made it to the final round," a man wearing a suit announced as he led Euphy and Dalton to a wall with a dozen different works of art displayed.

"I see," Euphy replied.

"We've carefully selected the finest pieces for you to award one that will be the grand prize winner," the curator explained while one piece caught her eye.

"This is nice," Euphy commented upon the painting of countryside scenery.

"It's regrettable that our investigation revealed that the artist happens to be one-quarter Eleven," the curator admitted with barely contained disgust.

"Perhaps it shouldn't have been displayed here in the first place then," Euphemia replied sternly causing the older man to sweat a little.

"Well, it's a delicate balance with our public," the curator said visibly swearing before quickly recovering by pointing out another painting. "Anyway, take a look at that painting right there. It was painted by the son of Marquess Nicolai."

Euphy was shown a painting of her father the Emperor, but unlike the other painting she had been looking at both this one lacked feeling. Adding to Euphy's feelings about the portrait she observed the arms didn't seem to be equally propionate either, so Euphy suspected someone was likely bribed to press her into selecting this painting as the grand prize. In fact despite having the honor of choosing the grand prize winner of the museum's opening ceremony contest she had no involvement whatsoever in selecting the winning painting.

Despite wishing to prove helpful to her sister Cornelia, Euphy felt useless and nothing more than what some people have come to regard her…a figurehead.

* * *

As the sun was beginning to set Chiaki Nanami returned home, and unsurprisingly found Izuru inside the spare room. He had left the door open and from what Chiaki could glance he was seemingly examining different news articles judging by the media and news outlet groups titles she saw.

When he didn't seem to notice her presence, Chiaki began to walk away before…

"You shouldn't go out tonight," Izuru said, which the suddenness of the comment surprised Chiaki.

"Huh?!"

"Ultimate Despair will be making a move upon the Clovis Memorial Museum," Izuru answered.

"I thought that place wasn't going to open for another month or two?"

"They secretly moved the opening ceremony date up to minimize the risk it would become a target for terrorist groups in Area 11, but Ultimate Despair is likely aware of this thanks to a high probability of the information being leaked to them. No doubt it will be through someone either part of the military, and someone who has too much of a casual relationship with the media due to the fact members of Area's major media outlets will be in attendance."

"What's the point of that?"

"Their likely objective is to spread chaos and to break the people's faith in the colonial government. No matter how much damage the military does to them to incite panic. However, Princess Euphemia's presence and the fact she will be in danger will be distressing to her older sister Cornelia. Cornelia's weakness is her own younger sister, something Ultimate Despair is likely to exploit." Izuru explained which only caused Chiaki to lose blood in her cheeks.

"Shouldn't we warn them?"

Izuru looked over his shoulder at Chiaki, with a cold expression before asking, "Why?"

* * *

Even if Chiaki convinced him otherwise, it wouldn't matter if Izuru had decided to warn the Britannians, because as the day was giving way to night, the Warriors of Hope were gathered. The children and their repaired and upgraded machines were being prepared by members of Ultimate Despair. Inside her mobile command center, Monaca was earlier preparing to observe the coming clash on the multiple monitors linked to the cameras on the Warriors of Hope's machines, and remotely connected to the cameras of the location they were targeting enabling her to observe the clash through different angles.

Both for her entertainment and for her to observe the improved machines she made for the Warriors of Hope.

"Are you all ready," Monaca asked cheerfully, despite knowing the answer.

"Everything is ready Monaca," Nagisa Shingetsu said upon completing a system's check within his cockpit.

"Monaca is glad to hear it, but I hope all of you will do better this time. Considering the improvements I made to your machines."

"Don't worry about that, this time our performance will be picture perfect!" Kotoko Utsugi added with a cheerful smile.

Contrary to the cheerful and confidence showed by two of her friends, Masaru Daimon was notably both eager and yet bloodthirsty at the same time if his expression and mood was an indicator.

"I'll be the hero THIS TIME," Masaru shouted.

"Don't let what happened in Shinjuku get you down Masaru. You'll have plenty to," Monaca said sweetly before adding with a sinister smile, "vent your frustrations upon."

"Anyway," Nagisa said adopting a serious tone, "you three will hit the target while I'll hang back and provide ranged support with my rifle."

"Right let's smash and burn everything leaving behind smoldering corpses covered in broken stone and glass!" Jataro Kemuri said joining the group's conversation.

"Then let's get started!" Masaru declared.

* * *

"So you're C.C.," Nagito said to the green haired immortal in front of him.

Although Nagito didn't insist of it as a condition for his silence he did ask Lelouch if he could meet the one who granted Lelouch his Geass.

 _Gundham would be quite jealous if he knew,_ Nagito internally mused jokingly.

Of all of the things that could happen in his, as he saw it, own unremarkable life meeting an immortal who has possibly been alive for over a hundred years was indeed not something he could've foreseen.

 _I must be_ _truly lucky_ _today!_

"You seem to be introducing more people to me lately," C.C. commented before tilting her head to one side while an open box of pizza lay before her on the dining room table.

"Not exactly my intention, but certain things happened beyond my control," Lelouch answered.

A part of him was slightly annoyed that someone else knew his secrets, although Nagito didn't know that Lelouch was a former prince of Britannia. Nevertheless, Lelouch, it was best to do what he could to cement trust between him and Nagito concerned that if he didn't then that lack of faith could become a dangerous liability especially since he knew his true identity.

Furthermore, Lelouch was curious if Nagito was going to have any better luck getting any information out of C.C. regarding her life and Geass.

 _How often do you get to meet someone who has lived through and experienced so much, she might be an Ultimate,_ _but_ _there is value in someone who has lived for so long._

Those were Nagito's words when Lelouch warned him that C.C. might not be so forthcoming about details regarding herself despite attempts from him and Junko.

 _I guess I'll see how this plays out,_ Lelouch thought with his arms folded across his chest.

* * *

It was close to nine o'clock that same night when the main reception area of the newly opened museum was hosting, in secret, the opening ceremony of the art museum dedicated in honor of Clovis la Britannia. Presiding over the event was Euphemia, but beyond that Euphy had done little other than be present and smile.

It was depressing really, she was the Sub-Viceroy yet she had virtually no authority or power to make decisions that were more meaningful. Now on top of it, she was being pushed to choose a Knight, but accurately her older sister was urging her to chose a knight she deems acceptable.

Euphy knew Cornelia meant well, but the lack of control over her life and being treated like a doll without any way to offer up her own thoughts only cemented this perception.

The fact that she wasn't involved in choosing the winner of the contest only made the feeling even worse.

" _That was a pointless question to ask a puppet,"_ Euphy thought while recalling a reporter had said to a colleague, although it hurt she knew it was in a sense true.

"Princess Euphemia," The curator of the museum, said as he gestured to her shaking Euphy from her thoughts. "The time has come to award the first prize winner of the contest."

"Oh," Euphy replied slowly rising to her feet with the decorative horseshoe in her hands.

She tried her best to smile, Euphy couldn't do it.

The Princess made her way from seat off to the side to the center of the stage where the audience behind her, consisting of mostly reporters and other VIP guests, watched and waited for her to pin the decorative marker on the prized painting.

The apparent choice the curator and others picked was the one of Euphy's father, which they tried to push her to admire yet they failed miserably at it.

 _I highly doubt my father would've liked it,_ Euphy thought.

Euphy stood in front of the painting, but she unknowingly lost track of time Euphy was shaken from her thoughts by the curator.

"Please, Princess Euphemia we cannot wait in suspense any longer."

Suddenly a very familiar voice echoed through the room.

"Suspense, oh please we all know this contest was rigged from the start. The princess probably didn't even choose the winning piece, did she? I mean a little kid with a box of crayons could do a better job!"

"WHO!?" Curator shouted who not only recognized the voice but quickly sought out the source.

The reporters and those in the audience looked at one another until finally one of them found the source of the familiar voice. Monokuma was seated in the middle of the audience wearing a black cape draped around his body wearing a fake pair of glasses with a white beard attached to it. Upon realizing who they were sitting next to the people near Monokuma quickly scrambled to get away from him leaving him openly exposed before he stood upon the chair he was seated on casting off his cape and disguise.

"And Monokuma makes another dashing appearance that leaves the crowd speechless," Monokuma declared.

Euphy, like everyone else, was stunned yet no one could even begin to grasp how not only did Monokuma know about the secret ceremony, but how did he get past all of their security measures.

It didn't take long for the guards to rush to the area, leveling their weapons at Monokuma.

"Come on," Monokuma said assuming a cutesy poise, "you know the law says you cannot shoot any wild bears unless they are coming right for you. At least try to scream its coming right for us!"

"Why are you here!?" Euphy demanded of Monokuma while her bodyguards quickly surrounded her with weapons drawn.

"You looked so depressed tonight I thought tonight I could not only help broaden your mind, but I could make things a little more exciting tonight." Monokuma began before laughing followed by an explosion that rocked the museum grounds.

 _That came from outside_ , Euphy thought while wondering what Monokuma had in mind.

And the sadistic bear was just getting started.

* * *

 **Monokuma Theater: (Bachelor Edition Killing Game Part 5)**

The following morning everything seemed to be normal with everyone gathering at the cafeteria, although understandably moods were rather low given the circumstances and the likely content of the videos they watched.

But one thing became quickly apparent during breakfast, someone was unaccounted for.

"Hey has anyone seen Kotomi?"

In response to Kirko's question, a familiar chime played before Monokuma's visage appeared on the monitors.

"You girls might want to start looking around for your missing friend," Monokuma offered ominously.

A chill ran down their spines as it likely meant that Kotomi was probably no longer among the living, but still, they didn't know for sure until they began their search. They started in the cafeteria before spreading out to the kitchen and other nearby rooms. They grew closer to the gym when a scream was heard from the women's bathroom.

"What happened!?" Seiko asked as she followed by everyone else arrived at the bathroom where they saw Sayaka and Natsumi had made the grisly discovery.

Lying in a pool of her own blood was Kotomi who, judging by the knife stuck in her was stabbed multiple times in the stomach with the frozen expression of horror on her face indicating she had been caught completely off guard. Sayaka immediately felt sick to her stomach and hurried to the nearest trash can while others found it difficult no to follow suit.

As if to pour salt in their wounds Monokuma's voice echoed throughout the school via the PA system.

"Attention, a body, has been discovered," Monokuma announced. "After a set amount of time we shall begin the Class Trial, so please refer to your E-handbook for the Monokuma File to help get started on investigating the murder. You better hurry because the class trial will start once I get bored."

The first murder investigation had begun.

* * *

A/N: I sacrificed some sleep to get this chapter out for you guys, but I will acknowledge this chapter isn't as great as I was hoping, but I suppose a chapter where you stumble a bit was bound to happen.

Now the first preparation for the Second Killing Game can be taken care of here since I need some events to happen first.

Some of you know what I am planning, but the rest will understand my reasons as it all comes together.

I did consider some alternatives, but I decided this would be the best way for a variety of reasons…the RIGHT reasons XD.

I was a little hesitant about having Nagito figure out Lelouch's identity as Zero at this point. However, given Nagito's accomplishments in the second game and his own deductive skills, I didn't doubt he could figure out at some point with the right information.

Still, I ultimately decided since it will help get other planned events moving.

Part of which was the reason I was slow on updating this chapter because I had moments where I considered redoing it from scratch. So I hope this chapter was up to standard, but if not I am hoping the next chapter will be since I am sure you guys can guess what will happen next.

Thank you all in advance for your reviews, but most of all thank you for reading the chapter.


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